Cats come in all shapes and sizes. Body condition assessment is a quick and effective way to assess whether your cat has the right amount of lean muscle and fat for its size. This allows you to easily assess your cat’s weight at home. Body condition scoring is based on how easily one can feel one’s ribs and spine. You can easily do this at home with your pet. It’s like having a hug with an extra boost of health!
Dogs and cats often need 25% fewer total daily calories after being spayed or neutered? Weight-related health problems are experienced by pets long before they are considered overweight or obese. But how do you know if you have an obese cat?
Preparation
First, make sure your pet is standing on a non-slip surface before performing this assessment. Always check that your pet is happy to be touched before starting body condition scoring.
Evaluate your cat’s weight
Start with a nice hug to relax your pet, then run the flat of your hand over your pet’s ribcage.
After that, compare how you feel to the hand assessment below.
Finally, use our photos to help you assess which category your pet falls into.
Manual evaluation
Below ideal weight
- Gently run your fingers over the back of your knuckles.
- If your knuckles feel the same as your pet’s ribs, they are below their ideal weight.
Tip: We recommend contacting your veterinary care team as soon as possible to discuss further.
![under evaluation of the hand at ideal weight](https://pet-gp.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/1a-Mid-1024x768.jpg)
Ideal weight
- Place your hand palm down. Your fingers should be extended and pointing forward.
- Run your fingers over your outer knuckles
- If your joints feel the same as your pet’s ribs, they are close to their ideal weight.
Tip: We recommend checking your pet’s body condition score monthly. This will help maintain optimal weight management
![hand assessment above ideal weight](https://pet-gp.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/3a-Mid-1024x768.jpg)
Above ideal weight
- Place your hand palm up. Your fingers should be extended and pointing forward.
- Run your fingers across the base of your fingers on the inner surface of your hand.
- If your lower joints feel the same as your pet’s ribs, they are over their ideal weight.
![assessment of ideal hand weight](https://pet-gp.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/2a-Mid-1024x768.jpg)
Advice: We recommend discussing this with a member of our experienced veterinary team, who can offer you tips and advice on weight management and nutrition.
Registration
Checking your cat’s body condition once a month will help you maintain an ideal weight for your pet.
Then, write down your findings in a journal or on a calendar. This allows you to evaluate change over time.
Where to get help
Assessing your cat’s weight at home is an important step in keeping him healthy. Our experienced veterinary team can offer you tips and advice for effective weight management throughout your pet’s life. They can also help you assess body condition if you need assistance.
![contact us button](https://pet-gp.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/contact-us-button-image-2.jpg)
I want to know more
This 3-point score is above all a basic assessment. This assessment is quick and easy to complete at home.
First, get comfortable with the 3-point process. Secondly, if you want to know more, then you can move on to the 5-point approach. Both can be completed at home.
More detail is obtained from a body condition score of 5 or 9 points. These processes are more complex and more precise. Your groomer or store typically evaluates using a 5-point rating. Your veterinary staff will use the 9-point assessment. All give the same result, it is the details of the result that change. You can find more details about these processes by following the links below.