Mary Allen
According to estimates by experts, almost every second cat is now overweight. This is already changing our viewing habits: Most cat owners don’t even realize that their cat is too round. Take the test here to see how your velvet paw is doing.
How Can I Tell if My Cat is Overweight?
If you want to find out if your cat is overweight, a scale is of little help. While there are estimates of average ideal weights for various breeds of cat, they will do you about as much good as saying that an average female weighs about 130 pounds and an average male weighs 140 pounds. So if you want to know how much an average European house cat should weigh:
- Queen: 3.4 kg
- Hangover: 4.3 kg
However, if you can’t say for sure that your cat is an average cat, you’ll need to examine and, most importantly, feel her to see if she’s at an ideal weight or if she has a few extra pounds on her ribs. You should answer the following questions:
Does your cat have a waist?
If you look at your cat from above or from the side, you should be able to see her waist. If you have a long-haired cat, it is best to stroke its flanks with both hands. Your hands should make a clear inward curve behind your chest.
Many cat owners say that their cat got a “hang-belly” after neutering. Often, however, superfluous fat pads are hidden behind it.
Can you feel your ribs?
Gently run your hand over your cat’s chest. You should be able to feel your ribs through thick fur without straining. A small layer of fat over the ribs is normal.
If you can see the ribs and vertebrae from afar, the cat is usually too skinny. Even if some Orientals naturally show more ribs than other cat breeds.
Can you count your ribs?
If your cat is an ideal weight, you can easily count her ribs just by running your hand over them. If you have to strain and push harder to count the ribs, that speaks for about 15% overweight.
If you can’t feel where one rib ends and the next begins, your cat is already carrying around 30% too much weight. By medical definition, she is obese and seriously ill.
Does your cat have fat pads on the back and base of the tail?
If you run your hand lightly over your spine, you should be able to clearly feel the individual vertebrae or their spinous processes. If you find this difficult, your cat probably has fat pads on its back that don’t belong there.
Has your enthusiasm for movement decreased?
For many cat owners, it’s a sign of satisfaction when their cat curls up and dozes off for much of the day. But this peaceful appearance can be deceptive.
Of course, every cat will calm down a bit over time. However, if your darling can no longer be motivated to play or gets out of breath after a short time, something is wrong and you should go to the vet.