How do I weigh my cat

My cat is overweight. My vet said that she will slim with activity...what
activity..lol...I don't know how to restrict her food, or weigh her? thanks
in advance

Scullycat wrote:

My cat is overweight. My vet said that
she will slim with activity...what
activity..lol...I don't know how to
restrict her food, or weigh her?

Don't free feed your cat. Feed on a fixed schedule. To weigh her, hold
her while you weigh both of you. Then weigh yourself and note the
difference.


---MIKE---
In the White Mountains of New Hampshire
(44° 15' N - Elevation 1580')

"scullycat" wrote in message
news:V4Vqf.9$7P2.4@trnddc07...
My cat is overweight. My vet said that she will slim with activity...what
activity..lol...I don't know how to restrict her food, or weigh her?
thanks in advance

I use a Tanita digital baby scale, model #1583. This model weighs up to 40
lbs. (accuracy: 0-20 lb./0.5 oz, 20-40 lb./1 oz.), has tare function to
eliminate weight of towel or carrier, and can switch for pounds to
kilograms. It has a big footprint and weighs quickly, so I simply set a cat
on the scale, quickly check the weight, and it's done. Some people use
their own bathroom scales by first weighing themselves, then getting on the
scales again with their cat and re-weighing. However, that is less likely
to be accurate (and accuracy is essential for a cat because even a few
ounces will be a *much* larger percentage of a cat's weight than of our
own). There also some less expensive models, but this one has been
exceptionally easy to use.

You should feed your cats a measured amount of canned food, preferably twice
a day on a 12-hour schedule (or as close to that as possible). I currently
use Wellness (several varieties) and Eagle Pack. Each of my cats gets 1/3
of a 5.5 oz. can twice a day, fed at 12-hour intervals. These are premium
cat foods, and that amount has held their weight perfectly. Holly weighs a
little more than 9 pounds, and Duffy weighs a little more than 8 pounds. At
one time, I free-fed dry food. That may be "easy," but it is not as healthy
and it is impossible to monitor intake that way. Once I switched to the
regimen I just described, Holly lost about 1 pound (which she had gradually
put on before I noticed) and has remained steady ever since. A good-quality
canned food is also much healthier than dry food, and I quickly saw an
improvement in her coat (which previously had some dandruff, but that
disappeared with the change in diet). I had adopted Duffy at the time I
made the change, but his improvement was remarkable because he had
previously been in an animal shelter for several months.

I feed fewer calories than the 30 calories per pound recommendations that I
have read on some sites. It is also less than the 1 can per day that
Wellness says is typical for an 8 to 10 pound adult cat. Other friends have
noticed the same thing with their cats. This may be because indoor cats do
not need as many calories as outdoor cats - but, for whatever reason, I
think the "recommended" caloric intake is likely to lead to fat cats. For
example, one 5.5 oz. can of Wellness chicken formula has 181 calories. This
means that my cats are getting between 13 and 14 calories per pound per day,
and their weight has remained constant on this diet. Other types of Wellness
will vary slightly, but this gives a reasonable approximation.

MaryL

Photos of Duffy and Holly: 'o'
Duffy: http://tinyurl.com/cslwf
Holly: http://tinyurl.com/9t68o
Duffy and Holly together: http://tinyurl.com/8b47e

I put Bubba in his carrier, weigh both on a reasonbly accurate
postal scale, then weigh the carrier without Bubba and do the
arithmetic.


Claude

Our vet does that with one of my cats.

--
Cat Galaxy: All Cats! All The Time!
www.catgalaxymedia.com

Panther TEK: Staying On Top Of Your Computer Needs!
www.panthertekit.com
"Claude V. Lucas" wrote in message
...
I put Bubba in his carrier, weigh both on a reasonbly accurate
postal scale, then weigh the carrier without Bubba and do the
arithmetic.


Claude

"scullycat" wrote in message
news:V4Vqf.9$7P2.4@trnddc07...
My cat is overweight. My vet said that she will slim with activity...what
activity..lol...I don't know how to restrict her food, or weigh her?
thanks
in advance

How much does she weigh and how much are you feeding her?


Here's how to weigh a cat:

http://www.maxshouse.com/weighing_a_cat_made_easy.htm


Phil

"scullycat" wrote:

My cat is overweight. My vet said that she will slim with
activity...what activity..lol...I don't know how to restrict her
food, or weigh her? thanks in advance

A fish scale works great. They are in the right weight range for a
cat so the accuracy is good, and they are relatively inexpensive.

If it is a hand-held model, you have to be strong enough to hold the
cat and whatever container used to weigh her in, and then subtract
the weight of the container. It is inexpensive, accurate, very
small, and efficient.

Take care.

"scullycat" wrote:

My cat is overweight. My vet said that she will slim with
activity...what activity..lol...

Being out of shape (or round shaped), sucks.

Currently, my cats have a total of four carpeted 8' 2x4s
horizontally placed at various elevations/locations in my room, plus
one leaning 2x4 for easy climbing, and they can get up other ways as
well. Shelf brackets can be used for holding 2x4s. Putting them near
windows and putting treat food up there helps encourage them to
climb.

John Doe wrote:

Currently, my cats have a total of four carpeted 8' 2x4s
horizontally placed at various elevations/locations in my room, plus
one leaning 2x4 for easy climbing, and they can get up other ways as
well. Shelf brackets can be used for holding 2x4s. Putting them near
windows and putting treat food up there helps encourage them to
climb.

what a mess
i hope your landlord never finds out

Like you don't want to do that to one of your rooms for your new additions
Barry
I built my house around my cats they have their own room Big bay windows
with huge window shelf spaces low overhanging shelves going all around
the rooms

"a christmas tree" wrote in message
oups.com...

John Doe wrote:

Currently, my cats have a total of four carpeted 8' 2x4s
horizontally placed at various elevations/locations in my room, plus
one leaning 2x4 for easy climbing, and they can get up other ways as
well. Shelf brackets can be used for holding 2x4s. Putting them near
windows and putting treat food up there helps encourage them to
climb.

what a mess
i hope your landlord never finds out