Weighing Cats

[bookw0rm]

Cassie lost a lot of weight when he was diagnosed with diabetes, and even more when he was in DKA. A week and a half after returning home from the hospital, there's no ketones ( ), but he's still losing weight. The vet wants me to weigh him weekly so we can monitor things.

So, I'll throw it out: what's the best way to keep track of his weight? Where can I find an inexpensive scale?

 

[squeem3]

You can use a baby scale. You can probably find a used one on your local FreeCycle group or on Craigslist or by asking around to people who have babies (playgroups, mom groups, friends, etc). You can also use a regular digital scale for people if you can get your cat to sit on it. Or weigh yourself, then weigh yourself holding the cat, and subtract to get the cat's weight.

To keep track of weights, you can go the tech-y way use a spreadsheet or word document (Microsoft Office, Google Docs, etc) or just a piece of paper.

 

[Karen & Smokey(GA)]

I use a postal scale.

Not only can I weigh the cats, but it is very handy for other things also.

Put cat into a carrier or box and weigh the whole assemblage. Then weigh
the container or box separately and subtract.

You can get a postal scale at office supply stores and also on ebay.

Be sure to get one that has a 'hold' weight function (weight lock). When you put the
carrier on the scale, it will likely hang over the sides and obscure the
weight display. So you want to push the 'hold' button to retain the weight
display so you can still read it after you pick up the carrier.

My scale weighs up to 30 pounds with accuracy of 2/10ths of an ounce.

I see ones on ebay right now that weigh up to 75 pounds with that accuracy.

Cost somewhere in the $20-$30 range.

 

[Maggies Mom Debby]

The low tech way is to hold the cat and weigh both of you. Then weigh yourself and subtract.

 

[Karen & Smokey(GA)]

The low tech way is to hold the cat and weigh both of you. Then weigh yourself and subtract.

Really not very accurate .

 

[Linda for Weezer]

We have Wii Fit Plus. There is a per stat area I use to weigh Weezer. It's not worth going out to buy one, unless you want to get into exercise mode :lol: , but if you happen to have one, add Cassie to the parade and use that. It even keeps a record for you in graph form.

 

[bookw0rm]

I was a little freaked when I saw baby scales for $200. Fortunately I see I may be able to find one for $50. I'll check out postal scales too. I like the wii fit idea but I don't have one; no bathroom scale either-besides. I need more accuracy.

Thanks for the tips.

 

[Maggies Mom Debby]

The low tech way is to hold the cat and weigh both of you. Then weigh yourself and subtract.

Really not very accurate .

I'm always within .2 of a pound of the weight at the vet.

 

[Just-As-Appy]

I got a used baby scale off Craigslist for $30. I weigh all 4 monthly - maybe its a little over the top, but never again will weight loss slip past me.

 

[bookw0rm]

They want me to check weekly, so we can watch for trends. I'm hoping he just had an upset stomach from the clavomox. He seems to be eating well.