Cat Weight

If you are concerned about your cat's health, you may want to compare your pet to a cat weight chart. These charts can differ slightly from company to company, but they may help you assess your pet's condition.

Why You Should Assess Your Cat's Weight

It is important to evaluate your cat's condition before choosing a cat food. While a cat that is a normal weight may not need a special diet, a cat that is severely under or overweight will probably have special caloric needs.
It is difficult to create a chart that has exact weights because the healthy weight for a cat can vary with the size, sex, age and breed. It is much more accurate to assess your cat's weight visually and manually.

Other Tools for Assessing Your Cat's Weight

You may also be interested in the tools at the Hills Website. These are interactive and will help you identify the body condition of your pet as well as suggest a nutritional program. Another comparison chart found at PlacervilleVet.com offers Purina body weight/condition evaluations through a series of illustrations to which you can visually compare your own cat.

Visual Weight Charts

While there are few charts that give actual weights, there are visual charts available to help you decide if your cat is over or underweight. The following descriptions can help you assess your pet.

Thin Cat

Usually you can tell when a cat is too thin. Its fur may be dull, and it probably has an unhealthy look. According to the weight chart, you may also see the following:

• The skeletal structure is easy to see. Ribs, vertebrae, and pelvic bones can be seen and felt.
• The neck is thin.
• The cat's waist is unhealthily narrow.
• The abdomen is concave.
• There is no obvious fat.

Underweight

A cat may be underweight without being unhealthily thin. There are many reasons that a cat could be underweight, including having worms. If your pet is underweight, you may notice the following:

• While the ribs might not be easily seen due to the fur, they will be easy to feel.
• The backbone may be easy to see and will be obvious when you run your hand over the cat's back.
• There will be little fat on the cat's body.
• The abdomen may be concave.

The Ideal Weight

A cat that is the ideal weight will be healthy and have a longer, higher quality of life than a cat that is too thin or too fat.

• The ribs can be felt, but they will not be visible when you look at the cat.
• Looking down on the cat you can see a waist.
• The abdomen will be slightly concave; this creates a smooth curve from the chest.

Overweight Cat

A cat may become overweight from something as simple as lack of exercise. You can assess your cat's weight by observing her closely.

• While the ribs can be felt, there is an obvious layer of fat across them.
• The abdomen will be slightly rounded.
• The cat will have folds on the flanks that jiggle when the animal walks.

Obese Cat

A very fat cat will not want to be very active. You can easily tell that a cat is obese by looking at it.

• The ribs cannot be easily felt, and the fat on the cat's sides is easy to feel.
• The abdomen will be rounded.
• The flank folds will be prominent and will "wave" when the cat moves.