How to weigh your pet at home

With a bathroom scale

• Put the scale on a hard, level floor, not on carpet.
• Weigh yourself and note the number.
• Weigh yourself again holding your pet.
• Subtract the first number from the second.

If your pet struggles, don’t force it. You could both get hurt.

Cats in a carrier

• Weigh the cat in the carrier.
• Then weigh the empty carrier with the blanket and anything else that was inside.
• The difference is your cat’s weight. The carrier must sit level on the scale and not touch the floor.

Small pets: use a baby scale

For cats and small dogs, a quarter to half a pound already matters. A bathroom scale is often too rough for that; a baby scale is more precise.

Large dogs

If your dog is too heavy to lift, ask your vet clinic whether you can use their scale.

Weigh the same way every time

• Same scale: different scales can show quite different numbers.
• Same time of day.
• One reading says little. What matters is the trend over weeks. Check big jumps at the clinic.

How often?

During weight loss, every two weeks. That shows whether the amount is right, so you can adjust it in small steps.

Otherwise, for adult pets, at least once a year, ideally every six months, plus a rib check now and then.