To help keep them independent and wonderfully uncooperative, remember to check your C.A.T.S.
When you hold your cat, you should be able to feel their ribs and a healthy little layer of padding around them.
The padding around your cat should feel similar to what's on the back of your hand – a little elastic, but close to your cat's muscles.
Just like their owners, your cat’s size may change a bit with age or as seasons change. A little variation is normal, as long as the changes aren’t rapid.
“Cats have what’s called a primordial pouch, but there should still be some differentiation between their chest and waist.”
— Angela Hughes, Global Science Advocacy Senior Manager at Mars Petcare
Depending on their breed, life stage and lifestyle, your cat's size is part of what makes them the amazing little animal they are.
Petite breeds like Siamese, Devon Rex and Singapura have smaller bones and tend to be at a healthy weight between 2-4 Kg.
Most cats fall into a middle-sized category, including Persian, Burmese and American Shorthair cats of a healthy size tend to be between 4-7Kg.
Larger cat breeds like Main Coon, Ragamuffin and Siberian cats at a healthy weight regularly reach the upper teens, between 7-9 Kg.
INFORMATION PROVIDED BY Opens a new windowDR. ANGELA HUGHES, GLOBAL SCIENCE ADVOCACY SENIOR MANAGER AT MARS PETCARE
As a professional researcher and veterinary geneticist, Dr. Hughes has spent her career sharing her expertise on pet health. Her work has been featured in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, PLOS One, PLOS Genetics and Large Animal Internal Medicine.