Like people, individual cats use the nutrients and energy in their food differently. This usage also changes with age and activity level, so if you feed more than the actual amount your cat's body needs, the excess calories may be stored as fat and can lead to obesity. "Learning how to perform a body condition score for your pet and regularly assessing this in combination with appropriate nutrition and exercise, will ensure you're doing your best for your pet's health and wellbeing", says Zara Boland, Purina's vet.
Body Condition Scoring
Body Condition Scoring is really very simple. It uses a scale of 1-9, with 1 being very underweight and 9 being very overweight. A body condition score of 5 is considered ideal. To work out your cat's individual body condition score, you need to do three checks:
- Rib Check: Run both your hands, palms facedown across your cat's ribcage on either side
- Profile Check: View your standing cat from a side-on angle, this is best done if you are level with your pet
- Overhead Check: Look down at your standing cat from an overhead angle
In an ideal body condition, your cat's ribs can be felt without excess fat covering; the waist should be easily visible when viewed from above (giving an hour-glass shape) and the abdomen should be tucked up towards the pelvis, when viewed from one side.
Keeping a close eye on body condition and working to maintain an 'ideal' score of 5 throughout all stages of your cat's life, can also decrease the risk of weight associated health problems such as arthritis, heart disease and even diabetes.
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Too Thin
1 Ribs visible on shorthaired cats; no palpable fat; severe abdominal tuck; lumbar vertebrae and wings of ilia easily palpated.
2 Ribs easily visible on shorthaired cats; lumbar vertebrae obvious with minimal muscle mass; pronounced abdominal tuck; no palpable fat.
3 Ribs easily palpable with minimal fat covering; lumbar vertebrae obvious; obvious waist behind ribs; minimal abdominal fat.
4 Ribs palpable with minimal fat covering; noticeable waist behind ribs; slight abdominal tuck; abdominal fat pad absent. |
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Ideal
5 Well-proportioned; observe waist behind ribs; ribs palpable with slight fat covering; abdominal fat pad minimal. |
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Too Heavy
6 Ribs palpable with slight excess fat covering; waist and abdominal fat pad distinguishable but not obvious; abdominal tuck absent.
7 Ribs not easily palpated with moderate fat covering; waist poorly discernible; obvious rounding of abdomen; moderate abdominal fat pad.
8 Ribs not palpable with excess fat covering; waist absent; obvious rounding of abdomen with prominent abdominal fat pad; fat deposits present over lumbar area.
9 Ribs not palpable under heavy fat cover; heavy fat deposits over lumbar area, face and limbs; distention of abdomen with no waist; extensive abdominal fat deposits. |
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