How to tell if your cat is overweight
CAT · EXCESS WEIGHT01Three checks with your hands
A vet scores body condition by touch, and at home it takes a minute. Let the cat stand on all four paws and run your palms along its sides without pressing.
- Ribs. Run a palm along the side: under a moderate layer of fat they should be easy to feel without pressing.
- Waist. Look down at the cat from above: the outline should narrow behind the ribs.
- Belly. Look from the side: the belly is tucked, its line rising from the chest towards the hind legs.
Three yes answers put the cat around 5 out of 9, which is ideal condition. Each no moves the score up, and the scale turns that shift into a percentage.
02What each point stands for
The 9-point Body Condition Score comes from the World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) and the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA). It is finer than the 5-point version, so clinics work with it. Its value: it converts what your hand feels into a percentage of extra weight.
The percentages stop at seven points: beyond that the scale describes a state, with no figures attached. The score itself is given by a vet, at the same routine exam whose timing is covered in how often a pet needs the vet.
03Why the scales are not enough
Weight can hold steady while body composition shifts: the animal loses muscle and gains fat at the same time. Scales miss that, hands do not. Body condition scoring and weighing therefore go together, neither one replacing the other.
An adult cat needs weighing once a month at home, and at the very least at the yearly check-up. A senior cat goes on the scales every two weeks to once a month; senior means 11 years and over, by the life stages of the American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP).
A gain above 5% without a deliberate increase in food is the first flag: portions and activity are worth a review. Above 10% is a significant change, calling for a weight control programme and a metabolic work-up. Proportions deceive in cats: at 4–5 kg, half a kilo is already 10–12.5%, so “filled out a little” rarely holds.
04How the extra builds up
A cat’s daily calorie budget is small, so extra weight accumulates quietly and without obvious overfeeding. WSAVA keeps all treats together below 10% of daily calories: for a 5 kg cat that is 25–29 kcal a day out of 250–290.
A 28 g piece of cheddar costs 120 kcal, nearly five times that allowance and around 40% of the cat’s whole daily intake. Some organisations are stricter: the VCA clinic network names 5%, the Cornell Feline Health Center allows 10–15%; no single standard exists. The same arithmetic for a saucer of milk is in a separate piece.
A single number says little; the trend is what counts. The app shows when a change has crossed the threshold.
