The chart
The 9-point cat body condition scale
The WSAVA scale for cats, with what each score feels and looks like. 4 and 5 are ideal.
Emaciated
- Ribs:
- Ribs visible on a short-haired cat; no fat can be felt
- From above:
- Severe tuck; spine and hip bones easy to see and feel
- Belly:
- No belly fat; obvious muscle loss
Very thin
- Ribs:
- Ribs easily seen on a short-haired cat
- From above:
- Marked waist; spine and hip bones obvious
- Belly:
- No belly fat; some muscle loss
Thin
- Ribs:
- Ribs easily felt with minimal fat cover
- From above:
- Obvious waist behind the ribs; spine easy to feel
- Belly:
- Minimal belly fat
Lean (ideal)
- Ribs:
- Ribs easily felt with a slight fat cover
- From above:
- Waist clearly seen behind the ribs
- Belly:
- Slight tuck; very little belly fat
Ideal
- Ribs:
- Ribs felt with a slight fat cover
- From above:
- Well proportioned; waist seen behind the ribs
- Belly:
- Belly fat pad minimal
Slightly over
- Ribs:
- Ribs felt under slight excess fat
- From above:
- Waist seen but not prominent
- Belly:
- No tuck; a belly fat pad can be felt
Overweight
- Ribs:
- Ribs hard to feel under moderate fat
- From above:
- Waist hard to see
- Belly:
- Belly obviously rounded; moderate belly fat pad
Obese
- Ribs:
- Ribs cannot be felt under heavy fat
- From above:
- No waist
- Belly:
- Prominent belly fat pad; fat over the lower back
Severely obese
- Ribs:
- Ribs cannot be felt under heavy fat
- From above:
- No waist; belly distended
- Belly:
- Large belly fat pad; heavy fat over the lower back, face and legs
Source: WSAVA Global Nutrition Committee, Body Condition Score chart for cats · AAHA Weight Management Guidelines 2014
Method
How to tell if your cat is overweight
How to score your cat: it takes thirty seconds
- Feel the ribs. Run your flat palm along your cat’s side with light pressure. You should feel each rib easily under a slight layer of fat, like the back of your hand. If you have to press, there is too much fat; if they feel like your knuckles, too little.
- Look from above. With your cat standing, there should be a gentle waist behind the ribs, not a straight or bulging line.
- Feel the belly. Cats store fat low on the belly. At an ideal score there is only a small fat pad; from 7 up the belly is obviously rounded, and at 8 and 9 fat builds over the lower back, face and legs too.
Hands, not eyes: a long or dense coat hides a great deal. Do it once a month; it catches drift long before the scales make it obvious.
Source: WSAVA Global Nutrition Guidelines 2011 · AAHA Weight Management Guidelines 2014
Is my cat fat, or is that the primordial pouch?
Many cats have a loose, swinging flap of skin between the back legs called the primordial pouch. It is normal, lean cats have it too, and it is not fat, so no diet will remove it. Score the fat over the ribs and on the belly instead. FelineSense shows this note on screen every time you score.
Source: WSAVA feline body condition chart · Cornell Feline Health Center
From a score to an ideal weight
Each point above 5 is roughly 10 % over the ideal body weight, and each point below 5 roughly 10 % under. So the score gives a per-cat ideal weight: current weight ÷ (1 + 0.10 × (score − 5)). A 6 kg cat scoring 7 is about 20 % over, an ideal of about 5 kg.
That per-cat number beats a breed chart, because frames differ and most cats are not a pedigree. It is an estimate; your vet can refine it. In FelineSense the ideal weight from your saved score is what the feeding guide and the weight-loss plan work from.
Source: WSAVA Global Nutrition Committee · AAHA Weight Management Guidelines 2014
Why the score matters
Extra weight raises a cat’s risk of diabetes and arthritis, and an overweight cat must lose slowly: about 0.5–1 % of body weight a week, and never by going without food, which risks fatty liver disease. A score that falls is just as important. Weight loss in an older cat that is eating well is a classic sign of an overactive thyroid, and it is also seen with kidney disease and diabetes, so a score of 3 or below is worth a vet visit.
Source: AAHA Weight Management Guidelines 2014 · AAFP · Merck Veterinary Manual
Kittens are different
A growing kitten is meant to gain weight every week, and very rarely needs to lose any. If you score a kitten above 5, mention it to your vet at the next kitten visit rather than cutting food. FelineSense keeps its weight-loss plan off for kittens unless your vet has ordered a diet.
Source: AAHA Nutrition and Weight Management Guidelines 2021
In FelineSense
Score it once, then track it
- Log weigh-ins in kg or lb, and score body condition 1–9 with each score described on screen
- The primordial pouch note beside the scale, so the flap is never scored as fat
- An estimated ideal weight from the score, which the feeding guide then uses
- A weight trend chart against the typical adult range for the breed, or for a domestic cat
- A weight-loss plan when your vet says slim down: daily calories, grams per meal, a weekly check, and a warning if loss runs faster than 1.5 % a week
Launching first on iPhone and iPad, with Android and Amazon soon after.
Questions
Frequently asked
What is a healthy body condition score for a cat?
Is the saggy belly on my cat fat?
How do I work out my cat’s ideal weight?
How much should a cat weigh?
How fast should an overweight cat lose weight?
Can a kitten be overweight?
FelineSense keeps the score with your cat’s weigh-ins, works out the ideal weight from it, and charts where the weight is heading.
See the app