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Is My Cat Overweight? Body Condition Score Checker
Answer three questions about ribs, waist and belly and get a score on the 9-point chart vets use. Built for big-framed cats like the Maine Coon.
Run your flat hand along the side of the chest.
Stand over your cat. Is there a dip behind the ribs?
Look at the line from rib cage to back legs.
Answer the three questions and press Calculate. You get a score from 1 to 9, where 5 is ideal, with the chart wording for that score.
- Free, no sign-up
- 9-point vet chart
- Maine Coon note
- Sources dated
A healthy cat scores 5 out of 9 on the body condition scale: ribs felt under a slight layer of fat, a waist behind the ribs and very little belly fat. Cornell’s Feline Health Center describes a 5 as “well proportioned, waist behind ribs, ribs palpable (slight fat covering), abdominal fat pad minimal”. Scores of 6 to 9 are over ideal and 1 to 4 are under. Judge by feel and shape, not by the number on the scale alone.
The 9-point body condition chart
Vets use this chart instead of weight alone because breeds differ so much in frame. The wording below is the chart as reproduced by FirstVet (published November 2020, updated November 2021, read 27 October 2026).
| Score | What you see and feel | Band |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ribs very easily seen on short-haired cats, severe abdominal tuck, no fat pads. | Under ideal |
| 2 | Ribs easily seen on short-haired cats, pronounced abdominal tuck, no fat pads. | Under ideal |
| 3 | Ribs easily felt with minimal fat covering, obvious waist behind the ribs from above, minimal abdominal fat pad. | Under ideal |
| 4 | Ribs felt with minimal fat covering, noticeable waist behind the ribs, slight abdominal tuck, minimal fat pad. | Under ideal |
| 5 | Well proportioned. Ribs felt with slight fat covering, waist seen behind the ribs but not pronounced, minimal abdominal fat pad. | Ideal |
| 6 | Ribs felt with slight excess fat covering, waist and abdominal fat pad present but not obvious, abdominal tuck absent. | Over ideal |
| 7 | Ribs not easily felt through moderate fat covering, waist not easily seen, moderate abdominal fat pad. | Over ideal |
| 8 | Ribs not felt because of excess fat covering, no waist when viewed from above, prominent abdominal fat pad. | Over ideal |
| 9 | Ribs not felt under heavy fat cover, belly distended with no waist, extensive fat deposits. | Over ideal |
How to check your cat in three steps
Feel the ribs
Run flat fingers along the side of the chest. At 5 you can feel the ribs under a thin layer of fat. If you have to press hard to find them, the score is higher.
Look from above
A waist is the dip behind the ribs. At 5 it is visible but gentle. No dip, or a belly wider than the chest, means over ideal.
Look from the side
Under ideal cats show a tuck where the belly rises toward the back legs. A swinging fat pad or a belly that hangs below the chest line points to a higher score.
Big cat or fat cat? Maine Coons
The Cat Fanciers’ Association calls the Maine Coon “the largest of all pedigreed cats” and says it is not unusual for a mature male to reach or exceed 20 pounds, with females usually smaller. It also describes a slow-maturing breed that can take up to three years to reach full growth. So a large number on the scale is normal for the breed and cannot tell you whether the cat is carrying fat. That is why this checker asks about ribs, waist and belly, which tell you about fat on any frame.
We did not find a first-party source that gives an ideal weight range by age for Maine Coons, so we do not show one. For the weights owners report at each age, see the Maine Coon growth chart and treat them as reports, not standards.
What to do with the result
A score of 6 or more is worth raising with your vet before you change the bowl. In AAHA’s 2021 nutrition guidelines a neutered adult cat is fed at 1.2 to 1.4 times its resting energy need, and a cat on a weight-loss plan at 0.8 times, calculated on its ideal weight and adjusted by monitoring body weight and condition. The cat feeding calculator uses the same formula. Cornell adds that treats should not exceed 10 to 15 percent of daily calories.
Questions
What body condition score should my cat have?
5 out of 9 is the target on the chart. One published copy of the chart notes that 6 may be acceptable in some cats, especially older cats; ask your vet which applies to yours.
Is my Maine Coon fat or just big?
Weight alone can’t say. The Cat Fanciers’ Association notes that mature male Maine Coons often reach or exceed 20 pounds. Check ribs, waist and belly: if you can feel the ribs under a slight layer of fat and see a waist from above, the size is frame, not fat.
Can I use a weight chart instead?
A weight chart tells you where your cat sits among others, but frame size varies by breed and between individual cats. The body condition chart looks at the cat itself, which is why vets use it.
How often should I check?
AAHA’s guidelines say to adjust calories by monitoring body weight and body condition score rather than fixing one amount for life. Re-checking every few months, and after any change of food or activity, is a reasonable habit.
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Related guides
- How big do Maine Coon cats get
- Best diet plans for Maine Coon cats
- How much wet food to feed a cat
- Maine Coon growth chart
Sources
- Cornell University Feline Health Center, “Feeding Your Cat” (BCS 5 description; treat limit), vet.cornell.edu, read 27 October 2026.
- FirstVet, “Body condition scoring (BCS) for dogs and cats”, 9-point cat chart wording, read 27 October 2026.
- AAHA 2021 Nutrition and Weight Management Guidelines, Box 1: energy requirement calculations, read 27 October 2026.
- Cat Fanciers’ Association, Maine Coon breed page (size, weight and maturity), read 27 October 2026.
General information, not veterinary advice. A vet scoring your cat by hand is the reference, and sudden weight change is a reason to book a visit.