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Practice Scenario
Meet JEMMA
A 3-year-old, spayed-female Domestic Shorthair
- Jemma is at the clinic for an annual physical examination and vaccinations.
- Her owner reports that Jemma eats both wet and dry commercial cat foods. She receives two meals of canned food each day and can feed freely on kibble. The owner believes this helps keep Jemma hydrated and allows her to eat small, frequent amounts throughout the day, which is typical feeding behavior for cats.
- An indoor cat with a body condition score (BCS) of 8 to 9 on the 9-point scale (8-9/9), Jemma is overweight. However, her owner believes Jemma is simply “big boned.”
Body Condition Assessment
The Purina Body Condition System
The Purina 9-Point Body Condition System, available for both dogs and cats, is an easy and practical tool that can be used by both health care professionals and owners to regularly monitor a pet for excess or inadequate body fat. It is often used in the prevention and management of obesity, which affects health and longevity in pets. However, it is also useful to assess pets that are underweight. The Purina Body Condition System has been adopted by the World Small Animal Veterinary Association and is the most widely used body condition system for small animal veterinarians.
Key Messages
- Although regularly monitoring body weight is good practice, there is a lot of variation between breeds, and it is difficult to know what an ideal weight is, especially with mixed breeds. That is where body condition scoring can make things easier.
- Ideal Body Condition Score is defined as:
- Cats = 5
- Dogs = 4 to 5
- However, in clinical practice, there may be exceptions. There are certain breeds, e.g., some Orientals, where 4 may be an ideal Body Condition Score in cats. A Body Condition Score of 6 may be considered ideal in older cats.
- Each Body Condition Score unit above 5 is associated with a 10 to 15% increase in body weight.
- Ideal Body Condition Score is defined as:
- Excessive body fat is associated with an increased risk of chronic health issues and ultimately affects longevity. The Body Condition Score assesses fat cover, by a visual and hands-on evaluation and provides a better assessment of a pet’s overall health than body weight.
- Ideal body condition is defined as a visible waist (when viewed from above) and tummy tuck (side profile) and easily palpated ribs.
- Purina research has shown that maintaining a lean body condition from puppyhood can extend a dog’s healthy life by up to 15%.
- Obese cats are at an increased risk of a shortened life span and diseases including diabetes mellitus and lower urinary tract diseases.
- The Body Condition Score is also useful to assess pets that are underweight, which is a particular concern with senior cats, who once they reach 10-12 years of age are prone to being underweight, and in animal welfare situations.
"Our goal is to maintain your pet in ideal body condition because this can help your pet live a longer, healthier life. We will monitor your pet’s body condition at every visit, and you can regularly monitor your pet at home as well. It is easy – simply check their waist, their tummy tuck and feel their ribs. If you notice a change you may want to adjust the amount you are feeding."
To Share With Pet Owner:
Maintaining Healthy Weight
Maintaining a healthy weight in pets provides many health advantages, but many pet owners are uncertain about how to manage their pet’s weight.
View Hot Topic
6 min to 10 min
Benefits of Healthy Weight
Although there are many benefits to maintaining a healthy weight in pets, many owners do not understand what a healthy weight is or the benefits for pets.
View Hot Topic
6 min to 10 min
Evaluating Your Cat’s Body Condition
Assess your cat's Body Condition in just 3 simple steps.
View Video
1 min to 5 min
Evaluating Your Dog’s Body Condition
Assess your dog's Body Condition in just 3 simple steps.
View Video
1 min to 5 min
Feline Body Condition System Sheet
A visual aid to the Purina Body Condition Score System for cats.
View Tool
1 min to 5 min
Canine Body Condition System Sheet
A visual aid to the Purina Body Condition Score System for dogs.
View Tool
1 min to 5 min
Body Condition System Progress Chart Cat
The Progress Chart should be used with the Feline Body Condition System Sheet to help track a pet’s weight loss or gain.
View Tool
1 min to 5 min
Body Condition System Progress Chart Dog
The Progress Chart should be used with the Canine Body Condition System Sheet to help track a pet’s weight loss or gain.
View Tool
1 min to 5 min
Additional Resources
Kealy, R. D., Lawler, D. F., Ballam, J. M., Mantz, S. L., Biery, D. N., Greeley, E. H., Lust, G., Segre, M., Smith, G. K., & Stowe, H. D. (2002). Effects of diet restriction on life span and age-related changes in dogs. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 220(9), 1315–1320.
Laflamme, D. P. (1997). Development and validation of a body condition score system for cats: A clinical tool. Feline Practice 25(5–6), 13–18.
Laflamme, D. P. (1997). Development and validation of a body condition score system for dogs. Canine Practice, 22(4), 10–15.
German, A. J. (2006). The growing problem of obesity in dogs and cats. Journal of Nutrition, 136, 1940S–1946S. doi: 10.1093/jn/136.7.1940S
Teng, K. T., McGreevy, P. D., Toribio, J.-A. L. M. L., Raubenheimer, D., Kendall, K., & Dhand, N. K. (2018). Strong associations of nine-point body condition scoring with survival and lifespan in cats. Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery, 20(12), 1110–1118. doi: 10.1177/1098612X17752198