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Cat Clinic of Iowa City

Is my cat too fat?

Taking care of an overweight cat can be tough. Read this helpful guide to help you through caring for your chubby furry friend.

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Educational Care Guides

Make caring for your cat easy!

Obesity is the most common disease in cats: nearly 50% of the feline population has the disease. To determine if your cat is overweight or obese, choose which score below most closely matches your cat.

Body Conditioning Scoring System

(courtesy of Hill’s Pet Nutrition)

Very Thin:

Ribs: Easily felt with no fat cover

Tail Base: Bones are raised, no fat cover

Side View: Severe abdominal tuck

Overhead View: Accentuated hourglass shape

outdoor cat

Underweight:

Ribs: Easily felt with little fat cover

Tail Base: Bones are raised with slight fat cover

Side View: Abdominal tuck

Overhead View: Marked hourglass shape

outdoor cat

Ideal:

Ribs: Easily felt with slight fat cover

Tail Base: Smooth contour with slight fat cover

Side View: Abdominal tuck

Overhead View: Well-proportioned waist

outdoor cat

Overweight:

Ribs: Difficult to feel under moderate fat cover

Tail Base: Some thickening, bones palpable under moderate fat cover

Side View: No abdominal tuck

Overhead View: Back is slightly broadened at waist

outdoor cat

Obese:

Ribs: Difficult to feel under thick fat cover

Tail Base: Thickened and difficult to feel under thick fat cover

Side View: No waist, fat hangs from abdomen

Overhead View: Back is markedly broadened

outdoor cat