How to weigh your cat

Knowing how to weigh your cat can be a helpful way of monitoring their health and staying one step ahead of any potential problems. Whether you have a particular weight goal in mind or simply want to ensure that your favourite feline is staying happy and healthy, regular weigh-ins can be very insightful to your cat’s well-being. Though it may be a beneficial habit, it can also be a bit of a faff! If you’ve ever found yourself pondering “how on earth do I weigh my cat?” then this is the article for you.

Table of Contents:

• How to weigh your cat with a luggage scale.

• How to weigh your cat with a bathroom scale.

• How to weigh your cat without a scale.

• Investing in cat scales.

When it comes to the challenge of weighing your cat at home, one technique that tends to work well involves pulling out the luggage scales. This at home technique involves three easy steps:

1. Start by carefully placing your cat into a soft canvas bag or a heavy paper bag (some cats love the feel of these). It isn’t too important what bag you use, just make sure it is strong enough and something your cat feels comfortable in.

2. Next, use the hook on the luggage scale to lift up the bag with your cat inside and note down the combined weight. After this, let your furry friend free then use the luggage scale to measure the weight of the bag on its own.

3. The last step is to do some simple maths, and subtract the weight of the bag from the combined weight of the bag and your cat.

This weighing technique works well if you struggle to get your cat to sit still. You could also follow the same steps to weigh your cat but replace the bag with your cat carrier if this is a more agreeable option.

Using a bathroom scale is possibly the easiest way to weigh your cat at home.

1. Step one is to weigh yourself and jot this number down.

2. Then pick up your cat, step back onto the scales, and note your combined weight.

3. Lastly, subtract your weight from the weight of you and your cat. This final number is how much your cat weighs.

Alternatively, you can use the same steps but with your cat carrier (perfect for when you're travelling with your feline).

1. Place your empty cat carrier on the bathroom scale and record the weight.

2. Then use the scale to measure the weight of the cat carrier with your cat inside it.

3. For the last step, simply subtract the first weight of the carrier from the second combined weight of your cat and their carrier, to get the weight of your cat on its own.

One limitation of using a bathroom scale to weigh your cat is that they can be less precise and therefore not give as accurate a reading as other techniques. Since a weight change of even 0.25kg can be quite a significant change for a cat, it might be hard to notice crucial differences unless you have a very high quality bathroom scale.

Probably the easiest way to weigh your cat without scales is to visit the vet. Your local clinic should have scales specially designed to weigh cats and even smaller animals. As a result, these scales will probably give the most accurate reading.

Even if you have scales at home, it can be a good idea to visit the vet occasionally and have them weigh your cat to double check. This is specifically good practice if you are looking for help with managing obesity in your cat.

If you are considering weighing your cat at home regularly, you might save yourself some trouble by investing in cat scales. This is particularly a good idea for those of you who are trying to help your cat lose weight as keeping a weekly log is a good way of monitoring your cat’s weight journey and making sure changes are happening at a healthy rate.

Pet scales are similar to the professional veterinary scales used in clinics. They tend to be comfy and inviting for your cat to lie on, allowing for a quick and easy reading. Having your own cat scales at home is more convenient than visiting the vet. They also are generally more sensitive than regular bathroom scales and so should give more accurate readings. Another viable option with similar benefits is to use baby scales - cats are our fur babies after all!

There are a lot of factors that affect how heavy your cat should be including breed, fur type and age. That's why why we ask you these important questions in the process of signing up for our fresh cat food box and kitten food boxes, so that we can perfectly portion their food to help them achieve their ideal weight. Alongside weighing your cat regularly, it can be beneficial to do visual checks and cross reference with our body condition infographic. Combining these two methods is one of the best ways for you to keep an eye on your cat’s physical health at home. If you do notice any sudden weight loss or gain, then make sure to visit the vet as soon as possible.

If you have any more questions concerning healthy cat weight, then we are here to help. Don’t hesitate to get in touch with the KatKin team at meow@katkin.com.