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Most cat weight problems are invisible at a glance: a cat can be 20% overweight while looking perfectly normal, and because a 4 kg cat only needs about 800 g of gain to reach that mark, the change is easy to miss on the eye and obvious on the scale. This guide covers the two habits that fix that: weighing at home (the hold-and-subtract method with a bathroom scale, or a box on a kitchen scale) and a simple body condition check — you should feel the ribs easily under a thin layer of fat, see a waist from above, and see a slight tummy tuck from the side. Monthly weigh-ins written down turn vague worry into early action, and food adjustments follow the scale rather than the pleading eyes. If weight ever drops suddenly or appetite changes, that is a vet conversation, not a diet conversation.
How to weigh a cat at home and read a simple body condition score — the two habits that catch weight problems months before they show.
Use the hold-and-subtract method: weigh yourself, pick up the cat, weigh again, and subtract your weight. Or zero a kitchen scale with a sturdy box, drop in a towel, and let the cat sit inside — most cats tolerate it for the few seconds it takes.
Healthy adult weights range widely by frame — roughly 3.5-5 kg for a typical domestic cat, with breeds at either end. Body condition matters more than the number: ribs should be easy to feel under a thin fat layer, with a visible waist from above.
Run your hands along the ribs: if you have to press hard to feel them, your cat is likely carrying extra weight. A waist that has disappeared when viewed from above is the second clue. Confirm with the scale monthly and adjust food portions down gently — never crash-diet a cat.
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