How to weigh a cat at home

Knowing your pet's exact weight is crucial for accurately calculating food amounts or medication dosages. Some owners wonder how to weigh a cat at home if they don't have specialized, accurate scales like those found at a veterinary clinic, and their pet isn't accustomed to the procedure. Today, we'll explain how to weigh your cat at home, minimizing stress and obtaining the most accurate data.

Method #1 – weigh on electronic floor scales

Today, almost every home has electronic household scales designed to monitor the weight of adults or children.

When trying to weigh a cat using a bathroom scale, you may encounter the following problems:

• the animal does not want to be weighed and constantly tries to escape, which is why the scales do not have time to determine the exact weight;
• The device is not accurate enough to determine the weight of a fairly light animal up to 5 kg (for example, a kitten).

The easiest way to weigh your pet on floor scales is to pick it up in your arms.

How to weigh a cat without stress (in the owner's arms)? Here's a simple step-by-step guide:

1. Determine your weight (without the cat) and write down the result.
2. Take your pet in your arms and weigh him again (write down the result).
3. By performing a simple mathematical operation, find the difference between your combined weight and your weight without the cat - this will be your pet's net weight.

Method #2 – weigh on kitchen scales

This method is suitable for those looking for ideas on how to weigh a small cat or kitten, since kitchen scales are usually designed for small weights (5-10 kg).

Problems you might encounter when trying to measure your cat's weight using a small kitchen scale:

• the cat tries to run away and does not allow itself to be fixed in the desired position;
• The pet does not fit on the base.

The first problem will need to be addressed with something tasty to keep the animal interested during the weighing process. You can make the process more comfortable by placing the animal in a large bowl.

The algorithm for weighing a cat at home on kitchen scales is as follows:

1. Place the bowl in which you will weigh the cat on the scale and press the “tare” button (tare the weight of the bowl).
2. Place the pet in the bowl and weigh it.

If the "tare" function is missing or you don't know how to use it, then simply weigh the cat in the bowl, and then the bowl separately, and subtract the difference, which will be the net weight of the animal.

Method #3 – weigh the canter in a bag

One of the simplest, but not always accurate ways to determine a cat's weight at home.

If you don't have floor or kitchen scales at home, but you do have a simple household scale (hand scales or spring balances), then follow these recommendations:

1. Find a basket or carrying bag, in which the animal can comfortably fit.
2. Weigh the bag without the cat.
3. Place the cat in the bag and weigh it again.
4. Calculate the difference to determine the exact weight of the animal.

Body mass index of a cat

So, now you know how to weigh a cat at home without specialized veterinary scales. Each manufacturer provides detailed instructions on the packaging for how to use this information to calculate feeding amounts. Medication dosages should also be calculated based on your doctor's recommendations or the information provided in the product package insert.

If the purpose of weighing was to determine the animal's condition and the absence of excess weight, then you can independently calculate the body mass index for your pet using a simple formula:

BMI=OG/0.7062 – DN/0.9156, where

• OG – chest circumference;
• DN – the length of the back leg from the ankle to the knee.

The interpretation of the result is based on the following simple table:

Also visually assess the animal’s condition using the following parameters:

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