The short answer
On the WSAVA 9-point chart, an ideal cat (score 4 to 5) has ribs you can feel with a slight covering of fat, a waist you can see behind the ribs from above, and little fat on the belly. Every cat has a primordial pouch, a loose flap on the lower belly, and it is normal, so judge it by feel: a pouch sways and feels loose, extra fat feels firmer. If the ribs are hard to find, the weight is real whatever the pouch looks like. The result here is an estimate; check with your vet.
Is My Cat Overweight?
Answer 4 body condition questions
Press gently. You are feeling for the ribs under the skin, not looking for them.
All cats have a primordial pouch: a flap of loose skin, fatty tissue and fur. It is normal and swings when they trot.
Answer all 4 questions to see the result.
A simplified, at-home version of the WSAVA 9-point body condition score. The result is an estimate, not a diagnosis: check with your vet, whose hands-on assessment is the one that counts.
The belly flap almost everyone gets wrong
Cats get misjudged in both directions. Owners see the loose flap swinging under the belly and assume a lean cat is overweight, or assume a genuinely heavy cat is fine because “that is just the pouch”. Both mistakes come from judging by sight.
Cats Protection describes the primordial pouch as “a flap of loose skin, fatty tissue and fur that covers a cat’s belly”, and says all cats have one, even lions and tigers. It is a myth that only desexed cats develop one. The difference from fat is in the movement and the feel: the belly of an overweight cat “won’t sway as much as a primordial pouch when the cat walks or runs” and “will also feel much firmer”. Then check the ribs and the waist, which settle the question either way.
This is also why a dog weight checker does not transfer to cats. A dog-shaped side-profile question can score a healthy cat with a big pouch as overweight.
The WSAVA body condition score, in plain words
The WSAVA cat body condition score chart, part of the World Small Animal Veterinary Association's Global Nutrition Toolkit, runs from 1 to 9 in three groups:
- 1 to 3, under ideal: ribs easily seen or felt with little or no fat, an obvious waist, and, at the low end, the spine and hip bones easy to see and feel.
- 4 to 5, ideal: ribs felt with a minimal to slight fat covering, a waist behind the ribs, and a minimal abdominal fat pad. Score 5 is described as well-proportioned.
- 6 to 9, over ideal: ribs increasingly hard to feel, the waist fading then absent, and the belly rounding with a growing fat pad. At 9, fat deposits extend over the lower back, face and limbs.
The chart also notes that “a body condition score of 6/9 may be acceptable in some cats, especially older cats.” That is one more reason the result above is an estimate: your vet can tell you where your own cat should sit.
Cat weight chart by breed
Breed registries publish adult weights for pedigree breeds. These are the Cat Fanciers' Association (CFA) and TICA figures for mature cats, converted from pounds and rounded. Registries do not always agree, and individual cats sit above and below every range, so use them as a rough guide alongside the body condition checks, not as a target.
| Breed | Adult males | Adult females | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Singapura | 2.7 to 3.2 kg | 1.8 to 2.3 kg | CFA |
| Devon Rex | Typically 2.7 to 4.1 kg; males may be somewhat larger | Typically 2.7 to 4.1 kg | CFA |
| Cornish Rex | 3.6 to 4.5 kg | 2.3 to 3.2 kg | TICA |
| Burmese | May reach or exceed about 5.4 kg | Usually smaller | CFA |
| British Shorthair | Up to about 7.7 kg | Somewhat smaller | CFA |
| Norwegian Forest Cat | 5.4 to 7.3 kg | 4.1 to 5.4 kg | CFA |
| Siberian | 5.4 to 8.2 kg | 3.6 to 5.4 kg | CFA |
| Ragdoll | Often reaches or exceeds about 9 kg | Usually smaller | CFA |
| Maine Coon | Often reaches or exceeds about 9 kg | Usually smaller | CFA |
| Domestic shorthair and other moggies | Not a breed, so no registry weight. Size varies between individual cats. | Our DSH guide | |
Many cats in rescue are listed as domestic shorthairs or longhairs, which have no registry weight, and Cats Protection says the best way to tell if a cat is overweight is to assess their entire body. Score the body, then write down the scale reading as your cat's own baseline and watch for drift. For more on size, see our guides to the largest cat breeds, small cat breeds and types of cats, or read what is a domestic shorthair.
Never crash-diet a cat
This is the one real safety warning on this page. The University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine says overweight or obese cats have a greater chance of developing hepatic lipidosis, which it calls potentially fatal, and that the most important thing to watch for is a cat not eating for multiple days. If a cat stops eating, see a vet promptly rather than waiting it out.
Cats Protection says not to starve a cat or put it on an extreme diet that drastically reduces its food in one go. In practice that means asking your vet for a target weight and a daily amount, weighing food rather than scooping it, cutting back on treats, weighing your cat regularly to track progress, and adding play and feeding toys. Your vet can tailor the plan to your cat.
Choosing or adopting a cat
If you are still choosing a cat, the what cat breed am I quiz matches you to a breed, and the cat age calculator converts your cat's age into human years. Our guide to adopting a cat in Australia covers the process, and an adult rescue cat comes with a known size and a body you can see. Browse adoptable cats in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.
Frequently asked questions
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