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About Cat Weight Notes
Cat Weight Notes is a small, focused library about one topic: feline weight - how to judge it honestly, how to change it safely, and how to run feeding in real households. It's made by the team behind PawLine, a research-based dog and cat Q&A app.
How the guides are written
Every guide starts from primary veterinary sources, and every numeric or medical claim on this site traces to a named source you can open yourself. Where experts give a range, we give the range. Where the honest answer is "ask your vet", we say so rather than inventing a rule. These guides are general information, not veterinary advice; your vet knows your cat.
Sources
- Obesity - Cornell Feline Health Center: the 20-percent definition and prevalence estimates, the 9-point scoring and the three owner checks, free feeding as a major factor, meal feeding and canned food, and the one-to-two-percent weekly weight-loss pace under veterinary direction with home weighing on a baby scale.
- Hepatic Lipidosis - Cornell Feline Health Center: what fatty liver syndrome is, why anorexic and abruptly dieted cats are at risk, the warning signs (food avoidance, withdrawal, jaundice), treatment with nutritional support, and the prognosis when treated promptly.
- Body Condition Score - cat (WSAVA, 2020): the standard 9-point chart vets use, including the note that a score of 6/9 can be acceptable for some cats, especially older cats.
- Toys - Indoor Pet Initiative (Ohio State University): play as hunting behavior - stalking, pouncing and chasing keep indoor cats active, and rotating toys keeps their interest.
- Perches - Indoor Pet Initiative (Ohio State University): elevated spots as a basic indoor need - a perch lets a cat climb, watch and rest above the action.
- Food and Feeding Management - Indoor Pet Initiative (Ohio State University): cats prefer to eat individually in a quiet spot, with bowls out of each other's sight in multi-cat homes; consistent feeding schedules a cat can count on; foraging devices for cats that take to them.
PawLine, the app behind this site
PawLine answers dog and cat questions with research-based answers tailored to your pet's breed, age, history and situation - including weight, diet and appetite questions like the ones covered here. Free to download; see the store listing for current offers, pricing and trial terms.
