Video:How to Assess Cat Body Weight

Transcript:How to Assess Cat Body Weight

Hi, I'm Dr. Janet Tobiassen Crosby, you're guide to veterinary medicine at about.com. Today we're going to talk about how to assess your cat's weight. And what is an optimal weight and how to keep your cat fit and healthy.

Causes of Cat Obesity and Weight Gain

Just like for humans obesity is a huge problem for our pets - and it can be from sedentary lifestyles, eating too much food. Too much treats and not having enough human interaction with their human family. They are more prone to cancer, heart disease, joint disease and a shorter life overall.

Overweight Cats and Waistlines

This is Oliver and some of you may recognize him because he's been featured in weight management journal. Normally, your cat should have a nice kind of waistline, looking down the back. He doesn't at this point he's pretty solid. We're looking for a little indent here and kind of a natural waistline.

Feel For Cat Bones

We should also be able to feel the hipbones here. And they're pretty rounded, so we have a little extra padding at the end here. From the side we look to see a little rising up here and in the groin area. He's actually pretty solid though out. The other thing we do to assess our pet's weight is feel for the ribs. And it shouldn't be a real hard feel - just a gentle stroking and we should be able to feel the ribcage here. He has actually quite a bit of extra padding.

Health Problems of Overweight Cats

Cats that are overweight are actually less tolerant of heat, so in the summertime they can be panting, reluctant to move, they are also reluctant to exercise in general. This put them at greater risk for things like surgery, where they need to have anesthesia. The extra layers of fat make closure difficult and healing difficult. So, how do we tell if our cat is overweight? The first thing to do is to check with the veterinarian.

Assessing Cat Size

Oliver is a big boned cat. He has a large frame so he can carry a lot more weight than a small Siamese. Your veterinarian is the first place to stop to get a first starting weight, as well as discuss diet.

Weighing Your Cat

How do you maintain the weight measurements at home? The easiest way is to use a bathroom scale. Pickup your cat, get on the scale, and take a second measurement with just you and subtract the difference. And, you can check that once a month. We don't want to lose too much. Depending on where you're starting from. A pound a month might be too much or might be on target. One thing that's important to know is that an overweight cat is susceptible to a condition called hepatic lipidosis, or fatty liver. This can be caused by dieting, trying to get you cat to lose weight, or illness. The problem is when you have a very large cat stop eating it can be a critically serious situation. So, that's why it's very important to get with your veterinarian, to get a plan for your pet, and just how much weight should be lost overall and per month.

Ways to Keep Cats Active and Weight Down

So, how do we keep him active? One thing we can do is increase the surface area, providing toys that he can climb on and use strength and his body weight to exercise against. The other thing are toys. Most cats are responsive to cat nip which can be a great attractant both for this kind of furniture as well as play time.

With a little dedication, we can get him active. Thanks for watching to learn more please check us out on the Web at About.com.