Healthy Cat Weight?
What Is It And How To Keep Your Cat Healthy 

What is a healthy cat weight? Now that’s a good question. And people also sometimes ask me if I have any good cat weight loss tips.

The answer is that there is no one single weight that can be given to cover all cats. So many things affect what makes one cat fat and another one healthy.

These factors include:

  • The breed of the cat - Moggies (mixed breeds) are more likely to put weight on.

  • Their age -Cats under two years old are less likely to gain weight. Older cats may be less active and have slower metabolisms and therefore are more at risk of putting on weight.

  • Their activity level - Neutered cats are a little less active than unneutered cats and so require less food for energy. Indoor cats can be at risk of being mush less active as well.
  • The type of cat food and amount fed - Dry food is more calorific than wet food and so less needs to be given.

  • Other cat health conditions - for instance, if your kitty has a low thyroid problem, they can be susceptible to weight gain.

Because of these varying factors a scale was invented which could determine how healthy a cats weight was by simply looking them. So if a cat looks fat then yes they probably are, but one cat may eat far less than another who is not over weight.

Here is a rough guide to the levels within this scale known as the “Body Condition Score” or BCS.

Level 1 Thin Cat

The ribs of the cat are very visible and can be easily felt when you rub your hand along the spine. This is clearly an un-healthy cat weight! 

Level 2 Under Weight Cat

The bones are less prominent but do protrude from the body with only a thin layer of tissue between skin and bone 

Level 3 Healthy Cat Weight

The ribs can be easily felt under the skin but do not stick out 

Level 4 Over Weight Cat

It is less easy to feel the ribs under the skin and there may be some sagging of skin under the tummy area 

Level 5 Obese Cat

There is a thick layer of fat covering the ribs making very difficult to feel them and the sagging under the tummy is more prominent 

This scale also makes it easier for a cat owner to know when their cat may be putting on too much weight. Well have you tried to get your cat to sit on the scales at home?

Why Is It Important That My Pet Is A Healthy Cat Weight? 

Well just like the rest of us, being overweight can make your pet susceptible to certain cat health problems and illnesses such as:

The cats immune system will also be weaken which makes them less able to fight off every day viruses and other infections.

As well as the medical problems, an overweight cat is less likely to be very happy. Why? Because cats are naturally very active animals and their instincts drive them to hunt, climb and chase. If they are unable to do these things any more then just like the rest of us, they will become depressed and fall into the cycle of eating and sleeping too much.

Cat Weight Loss

"Prevention is better than cure" is an old saying, but it really does ring true when it comes to ensuring good cat health and making sure that they don’t put on too much weight in the first place. Why?

As many cat owners are finding out, trying to get a cat to lose weight once they have become quite large can be harder than they think. This is because more is required than simply reducing the amount and type of cat food fed.

In order to lose weight exercise also needs to be increased and trying to get a overweight cat to chase a ball around on a regular basis can take a lot of time and patience on the cat owners behalf.

Healthy Cat Weight Loss Tips

Feeding a well balanced diet and sticking to the recommended amounts as stated on the cat food packaging is essential.

Make sure your kitty is active an entertained by providing plenty of toys and playing games with them. This is especially important if they are an indoor-only cat!

Make sure they always have clean fresh drinking water to hand. Sometimes cats eat when in fact they are thirsty. This can especially be the case if they have wet food because they can associate the wetness in the food with satisfying their thirst.

Treats should be kept to a minimum and sticking to a regular feeding routine will also help to make sure that a healthy cat weight is maintained.

You can find out a lot more about cat food and nutritional requirements on my other pages!

(Images on this page come courtesy of the Hills Food Company)

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