How to Weigh Your Cat at Home
If you’re a cat lover, you want to make sure that your furry friend is healthy so they can live a long and happy life. Unfortunately, pet obesity has become increasingly prevalent in the UK, whether it be caused by overfeeding or lack of exercise. In this blog, you’ll learn how to weigh your cat at home to ensure they’re on the right track.
Why Do You Need to Weigh Your Cat at Home?
Most cats only get weighed when they go to the vet for their annual check-up. However, a lot can change in a year. When you see your cat every single day, gradual changes like weight gain or loss can be difficult to detect. Regularly scheduling time to weigh your cat at home can give you correct results that you can compare against your record of previous weeks or months. This gives you the ability to catch potential weight gain or loss much faster and make changes accordingly before it’s much more difficult to reverse.
Putting in the time to weigh your cat at home will ultimately save you time and money later, when your vet may need to intervene with more extensive – and expensive – treatment plans. It also has the added benefit of saving your cat from stress associated with more frequent vet visits or drastic dietary and lifestyle changes.
Keep in mind that if you have noticed your cat continuously gaining or losing weight even after you’ve adjusted at home, or if there are any sudden weight changes, it may be time to schedule an appointment with your vet.
How Much Should Your Cat Weigh?
The ideal weight for the average cat is 4.5kg (10lbs). However, there are variations between breeds. For example, Maine coon cats can reach a weight of 11kg (25lbs) and still be healthy, while smaller breeds like Siamese cats can weigh 2.25kg (5lbs) and be healthy. A cat will be considered overweight if they are 10-20% above its ideal body weight, and underweight if its ribs are showing and its energy levels are low. It’s important to do your research on your cat’s breed, so you know what to expect.
A cat’s weight will fluctuate naturally, just because your cat isn’t exactly the average for their breed does not mean that there is any cause for concern. Weight can fluctuate due to age, digestion, and activity levels, among other reasons. It can become a cause for concern when the weight change is sudden, severe, or is affecting their day-to-day life.
How Often Should You Weigh Your Cat?
When it comes to weighing your cat at home, the more often, the better, so you can track changes easily. Check out a previous blog post How Often Should I Weigh My Pet? To find out more information.
How to Weigh Your Cat at Home
The first thing you’ll need to do to weigh your cat at home is to purchase an animal scale, also known as a vet scale. This means it must have what’s called a Dynamic ‘Animal’ Weighing function. The scale will then supply correct results even if your cat is moving around, which is quite common when weighing animals.
Once you have an animal scale, simply place your cat on the scale to get exact results. If your cat is fussy, you may want to lure them onto the scale with a treat. Or you can place their bed on the scale and use the Tare function to set it back to zero so that your cat can be weighed while comfortable in their bed.
After you receive a result on your scale, make sure to record the number somewhere, along with the date that you weighed them, whether it be in a notebook or an excel sheet. It does no good to weigh your cat consistently if you don’t save the results to compare!
Scales for Weighing Your Cat at Home
Adam MTB Portable Animal Scale
Adam Equipment’s MTB Portable Animal Scale supplies correct results while staying affordable. This scale is ideal for weighing cats and other small animals and is lightweight for easy transportation. It also includes a helpful hold feature, which freezes the result on the display and allows you to take your cat off the scale before recording their weight. Additionally, it offers a ‘last weight reading’ memory function, so if you forget to record the result from the last session, it will still be on the display when you switch the scale back on. Watch this video on the Adam MTB for a demonstration!
Adam CPWPlus S Small Animal Scale
Adam’s CPWPlus S Small Animal Scale is the next step up from the MTB, both in features and price. It offers a separate weight indicator that can be detached from the platform, and its stainless-steel pan allows for quick and easy cleaning without fear of damaging the scale. It is the perfect size for cats and other small animals and was designed for both veterinary weighing as well as for weighing pets at home.
If you have a large cat, or perhaps own other, larger animals, you may want to kill two birds with one stone and purchase the Adam CPWPlus L Floor Scale. It features a stainless-steel pan built for easy cleaning, as well as handles and wheels for convenient transportation. It offers a separate weight indicator with a rechargeable battery, so you can create a space appointed for weighing without worrying about being near an electrical outlet. This scale is a popular choice for veterinary surgeries.
Learn How to Look After Your Veterinary Scales on our website. Do you own a dog as well? Check out Inscale’s Guide to Dog Weighing! If you have any questions or need help deciding which animal scale is right for you, call Inscale’s team on 01908972660. Happy weighing!
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