How can I measure the weight of my cat?

Question

I want to measure the weight of my cat in order to see if he is healthy according to his BMI. So I want to know how can I measure the weight. What is the correct way?

Is the problem that your scale is not fine-grained enough or that you don't know how to fix the cat onto the scale? If the latter, just weigh yourself two times, once with cat, once without. The absolute difference equals the weight of the cat. — phresnel, Dec 04 '18 at 10:03
Hold your cat. Stand on scale. Drop cat. Subtract second figure from first figure. — Strawberry, Dec 04 '18 at 11:11
Baby scales are what I use -- a bit bulky to store, so I wouldn't have them except I used to have an old sick cat whose weight needed very close monitoring. — , Dec 04 '18 at 16:02
@ColeValleyGirl baby scales are what my vet uses, too, and one of my three cats finds them very comfortable so he's at least easy to weigh when he goes in. — Allison C, Dec 04 '18 at 17:17
Gee thanks, humorless mods. Don't come to me for help when your local wormhole collapses. — Carl Witthoft, Dec 05 '18 at 13:58
@Strawberry: To be pedantially accurate, drop cat next to scale, not on it :) — Flater, Dec 07 '18 at 13:13

Jolenealaska · Accepted Answer · 2021-12-08T07:14:34.777

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Do you have a (preferably digital) bathroom scale? If so, weigh yourself. Now get off the scale and let it reset. Pick up the cat and weigh yourself holding the cat. Subtract.

edited Dec 08 '21 at 07:14

answered Dec 03 '18 at 18:18

Jolenealaska

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i suggest you do this twice to eliminate errors,good answer btw. – trond hansen Dec 03 '18 at 18:25
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What I find is helpful with electronic scales (which sometimes "remember" the last weight to eliminate minor discrepancies) is to weigh something that's at least 20lb different in between your "with cat" and "without cat" weights. For example, weigh yourself with the cat, then have your child weigh themselves, then weigh yourself without the cat. – Doktor J Dec 03 '18 at 18:56
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Good idea, but its easier to put a cardboard box on the scales, then zero it. Then simply put the cat in the box (or just wait) and then read the display. – Criggie Dec 04 '18 at 00:54
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@Criggie A bathroom scale might not register the weight of cardboard box correctly. IMHO a person, as suggested in the answer, is better. – Hanky Panky Dec 04 '18 at 08:10
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@HankyPanky the box is to make the cat sit/lie calmly for a moment while the display stabilises. – Criggie Dec 04 '18 at 09:37
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@Criggie Any self-respecting cat would jump out an instant before the display stabilises. And then look at you with an expression that says "Well, I didn't know you wanted me to stay put!" :-) Holding the cat always worked for my family. – TripeHound Dec 04 '18 at 09:44
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@Criggie I approve wholeheartedly of the "wait for the cat to enter the box" part. Cats will stay put in the box if they went there of their own accord, putting one somewhere it didn't choose to be is likely to be unreliable :P – Ruadhan2300 Dec 04 '18 at 12:21
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@Criggie 1) Our cat objects violently to being placed into a box, 2) it's difficult to place a box on the scale not obscuring the display without, 3) box tends to hang over the edge of the scale and become unstable, then even if the cat does climb in it falls over and the cat leaves. We use the "hold cat" method, with the slight variation of having a second person read the scale number, because it's hard to stand properly on the scale and still see over the cat to read the numbers. – user3067860 Dec 04 '18 at 14:35
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These comments are ridiculous. Nothing is easier than holding the cat while you're on the scale. It's so simple, there's no reason to do it any other way. – user91988 Dec 04 '18 at 19:27
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The downside of this answer is that you also have to now consider your own weight. – Valorum Dec 04 '18 at 22:05
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My scale also turns off after a very short period of idleness, seems very unlikely the cat would get into it in time. – millimoose Dec 05 '18 at 16:00
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My (very old) digital bathroom scale reads in half pound increments. This means that the subtracted weights could be off by a half pound, which is 5% of a cat's weight. Your scale may be more precise. I would suggest trying the process with a bag of objects of known weight (eg., weighed on a kitchen scale) to see if the results are sufficiently accurate. Also, bathroom scales may read differently in different locations on an uneven floor. – Keith McClary Dec 05 '18 at 18:44
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My bathroom scale is as sensitive (.1 lb increments) as the scales we used in the emergency veterinary clinic in which I worked for years. For tiny animals, we used a baby scale, which is another perfectly reasonable answer. – Jolenealaska Dec 05 '18 at 19:52
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@Criggie – Do not weigh the cat alone on personal scale, always add at least 20-30 kg. Typical measurement instruments are not built to measure accurately in their entire range. By adding weight to avoid bottom 20% of the range make your measurement happen in standard range – where 5 kg is most likely measured as 5 kg. Because accurately measuring 5 kg alone on 120 kg scale is very unlikely. For example one will get "precise" measurement 4.52 kg (the more decimals, the higher precision, right?), and they won't realize it actually can be half kilo off the actual value! – miroxlav Dec 06 '18 at 22:55
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@Criggie: Whatever you do, if you care for your cat, do not let Schrödinger anywhere near the box. – PJTraill Dec 07 '18 at 00:00
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@PJTraill name the cat "Schrödinger" so you have "Schrödinger's litter box" which cleans itself 50% of the time. – Criggie Dec 07 '18 at 03:40
This is also how I weigh my child. – Joe Dec 07 '18 at 10:05
@Criggie My (digital) bathroom scale will not register anything less than 20 lbs. It won’t even turn on if a cat sits on it alone. – StephenS Dec 08 '21 at 16:05
@StephenS yes - see Miroxlav's comment point out the same. A scale's range and accuracy should be sized appropriately, with loads toward the middle of its range. – Criggie Dec 08 '21 at 18:21

score 26 · Answer 2 · edited Jun 17 '20 at 09:57

If you're concerned about healthy weight (not medication), the cat's weight in pounds or kilograms is less important than the amount of fat they're carrying.

According to Pets.WebMD, and the image shown below, the shape of the cat is a good gauge of your cat's healthy weight:

“Cats should have that hourglass figure when you’re looking down at them, they shouldn’t have a saggy belly hanging down, and you should be able to feel their ribs,” [Melissa Mustillo, DVM] says.

If your cat is overly fluffy or otherwise hard to visually assess, its weight can also be determined by feeling the spine and ribs, as described on Purina's "Assessing Your Cat's Body Condition" page:

Ideal Cat Weight(5)

A well-proportioned body – you should be able to see a waist behind the ribs; ribs can still be felt but with a slight fat covering. There will be a small paunch of fat on the abdomen. This level is a healthy weight for a cat.

In an underweight cat, "[r]ibs can be felt with a minimal fat covering" at the least severe level, down to "[r]ibs will visible on shorthaired cats, and they will not have any obvious fat." If the cat is overweight, that ranges from "[r]ibs can be felt but are covered with a slight excess fat covering" up to "[r]ibs and lumbar area are hidden under a heavy covering of fat, and heavy fat deposits are also present on the face and limbs."

It may take some practice and discussions with your veterinarian to get the hang of checking your cat's weight, but as it becomes routine to feel along it's ribs and spine, you'll begin to notice shifts in your cat's weight.

Note that the "saggy belly" may not always be the best metric for determining the weight of a cat; while it is present in overweight cats, it is often also present in cats who are not and have never been overweight, as addressed in the question "Why does my female cat stomach area hang so low?"

The "average" weight for a domestic cat is about 10 lbs, however, this varies depending on breed and build. Anecdotally, of my two adult cats, one would be underweight at 10 lbs, while the other starts edging into overweight at the same size.

If you have concerns about your cat's weight, before making any changes to his or her diet, you should consult with your veterinarian to be sure the cat is indeed over- or under-weight and develop a plan to get your cat to the ideal weight for his or her size.

Our Norwegian forest cat is too furry to even begin to guess the size under the fur. When wet it looks like a rat and when dry like a wolf. — KalleMP, Dec 04 '18 at 10:39
@KalleMP while shape doesn't work with the super-fluffy ones, the touch test (spine and ribs) should still work, since your fingers can get under the fur to feel the bone structure. — Allison C, Dec 04 '18 at 14:09
I don't like this answer because many cats (in my non-vet experience) have a very prominent primordial pouch which makes them look way fatter than they are. The feel test is much more reliable, imo. — Monica Apologists Get Out, Dec 05 '18 at 21:30
I love this chart! My "kitten" who used to fit in the palm of my hands last spring is now 18 lbs, but according to this chart is ideal. Of course, he's also tall enough to get food off the counter by himself from the ground. Color me shocked the first time THAT happened!! — corsiKa, Dec 05 '18 at 23:24
That chart is actually slightly outdated; this is the new one being passed around these days https://i.imgur.com/SrtYVIr.jpg ;) — kayge, Dec 06 '18 at 18:01

James Jenkins · Answer 3 · 2018-12-04T11:17:23.830

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I use a pet carrier and a digital fish scale.

With the cat, small dog, rabbit, etc in the pet carrier weigh with a digital fish scale. Hang the carrier by the handle on the fish scale hook.

Let the animal out of the carrier and weigh the pet carrier.

Subtract.

IMHO This gives a more accurate weight for medications.

Related Putting a cat into a carrier

edited Dec 04 '18 at 11:17

answered Dec 03 '18 at 18:27

James Jenkins

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This is an excellent solution, although it does require that you have a) a fish scale (or something similar, like a luggage scale) and b) a cat that is willing to enter a pet carrier without an epic struggle. – Ilmari Karonen Dec 03 '18 at 21:48
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@IlmariKaronen All instructions about cats and health that don't start with "First put on your plate armour and make sure the bandages are easily accessible" are deeply suspect to my mind... – Graham Dec 05 '18 at 09:32
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Why don't cats like cat carriers anyway? They're like a box, which they love, with a box on top!! – corsiKa Dec 05 '18 at 23:25
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@corsiKa in my cats case it's twofold. One, cat carrier equals vet, vet equals bad. Two, cat carrier is box that they usually can't leave, which is bad. – user12271 Dec 06 '18 at 16:53
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If you have a larger kitchen scale, you can also put the pet carrier on the scale. As mentioned, a luggage scale works perfectly too. – Paul Weber Dec 07 '18 at 08:11

score 7 · Answer 4 · answered Dec 04 '18 at 19:27

When we had a failing cat that we needed to put weight on, we actually bought a digital deli meat scale on eBay and that way we could accurately track his weight gain/loss. It works really well as long as the cat doesn't move around too much. And as I like to joke with our healthy cats, as a benefit, if the cat gets to be too much trouble, this method is accurate enough to determine how much I'd get if I ground up the cat and sold him for dog food.

For cats that squirm too much (especially kittens) a new approach we've taken is to use our hand-held luggage scale. Normally you attach this to the handle of a piece of luggage and lift it up and the scale registers the weight of the luggage. In this case, you can simply use a reusable cloth shopping bag. Plop the cat in the bag and lightly tie the handles so the cat can't escape, and weigh the bundle with the luggage scale. To be most accurate, you'd want to tare the scale with just the bag then weigh the cat, but to be honest the shopping bags we use are so flimsy they don't really have any weight to speak of.

score 6 · Answer 5 · answered Dec 04 '18 at 10:53

Locate a bathroom scale that is continuous reading (either mechanical, medical or externally powered type) and place it under the litter box. If your cat is happy with you snooping when doing its business then peek at the scale and wait for the cat to jump out and determine the difference.

If you cannot find a bathroom scale that is continuous reading you can probably get a mechanical fish or bag scale that you could suspend the litter box from but your cat may get a bit irritated with you for making their toilet shaky and take feline revenge by not using it so use only as a last resort.

If you cat prefers privacy when in the toilet you can use a Go-Pro or other cheap clone recording/time-lapse digital camera to record the scale display for a day and then look for the min and max value before a visit.

As an added bonus you can vicariously monitor how large the number one and two are to monitor eating habits and general condition of your cat. You can monitor multiple cats continuously if you want.

Obviously you can locate a scale that has a built in data-logger or communications port and it will save you the trouble of watching boring cat toilet videos.

How can I measure the weight of my cat?

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