Scullycat wrote:

Don't free feed your cat.  Feed on a fixed schedule.  To weigh her, hold
her while you weigh both of you.  Then weigh yourself and note the
difference.

                 ---MIKE---

I use a Tanita digital baby scale, model #1583.  This model weighs up to 40
lbs. (accuracy: 0-20 lb./0.5 oz, 20-40 lb./1 oz.), has tare function to
eliminate weight of towel or carrier, and can switch for pounds to
kilograms.  It has a big footprint and weighs quickly, so I simply set a cat
on the scale, quickly check the weight, and it's done.  Some people use
their own bathroom scales by first weighing themselves, then getting on the
scales again with their cat and re-weighing.  However, that is less likely
to be accurate (and accuracy is essential for a cat because even a few
ounces will be a *much* larger percentage of a cat's weight than of our
own).  There also some less expensive models, but this one has been
exceptionally easy to use.

You should feed your cats a measured amount of canned food, preferably twice
a day on a 12-hour schedule (or as close to that as possible).  I currently
use Wellness (several varieties) and Eagle Pack.  Each of my cats gets 1/3
of a 5.5 oz. can twice a day, fed at 12-hour intervals.  These are premium
cat foods, and that amount has held their weight perfectly.  Holly weighs a
little more than 9 pounds, and Duffy weighs a little more than 8 pounds.  At
one time, I free-fed dry food.  That may be "easy," but it is not as healthy
and it is impossible to monitor intake that way.  Once I switched to the
regimen I just described, Holly lost about 1 pound (which she had gradually
put on before I noticed) and has remained steady ever since.  A good-quality
canned food is also much healthier than dry food, and I quickly saw an
improvement in her coat (which previously had some dandruff, but that
disappeared with the change in diet).  I had adopted Duffy at the time I
made the change, but his improvement was remarkable because he had
previously been in an animal shelter for several months.

I feed fewer calories than the 30 calories per pound recommendations that I
have read on some sites. It is also less than the 1 can per day that
Wellness says is typical for an 8 to 10 pound adult cat. Other friends have
noticed the same thing with their cats. This may be because indoor cats do
not need as many calories as outdoor cats - but, for whatever reason, I
think the "recommended" caloric intake is likely to lead to fat cats. For
example, one 5.5 oz. can of Wellness chicken formula has 181 calories. This
means that my cats are getting between 13 and 14 calories per pound per day,
and their weight has remained constant on this diet. Other types of Wellness
will vary slightly, but this gives a reasonable approximation.

MaryL

Photos of Duffy and Holly:      >'o'<
Duffy:  http://tinyurl.com/cslwf
Holly:  http://tinyurl.com/9t68o
Duffy and Holly together:  http://tinyurl.com/8b47e

How much does she weigh and how much are you feeding her?

Here's how to weigh a cat:

http://www.maxshouse.com/weighing_a_cat_made_easy.htm

Phil

A fish scale works great. They are in the right weight range for a
cat so the accuracy is good, and they are relatively inexpensive.

If it is a hand-held model, you have to be strong enough to hold the
cat and whatever container used to weigh her in, and then subtract
the weight of the container. It is inexpensive, accurate, very
small, and efficient.

Take care.

Being out of shape (or round shaped), sucks.

Currently, my cats have a total of four carpeted 8' 2x4s
horizontally placed at various elevations/locations in my room, plus
one leaning 2x4 for easy climbing, and they can get up other ways as
well. Shelf brackets can be used for holding 2x4s. Putting them near
windows and putting treat food up there helps encourage them to
climb.

My 19 year old cat has arthritis and likes to sleep on the couch all
day and all night.  The vet also told me that it would be good if she
gets some moderate exercise.  One thing that I found works is to put
her in an area that she doesn't want to be in.  Then she is forced to
walk back to the couch.   My house has two floors, and she hangs out
24/7 in the den downstairs, so I put her upstairs somewhere pretty far
from the den.  Then she walks back downstairs.  At first she had to
stop a few times on the way to rest, but she no longer needs to.

This really seems to have helped my cat - she is no longer limping, and
she has become much more active and enthusiastic.

My 19 year old cat has arthritis and likes to sleep on the couch all
day and all night.  The vet also told me that it would be good if she
gets some moderate exercise.  One thing that I found works is to put
her in an area that she doesn't want to be in.  Then she is forced to
walk back to the couch.   My house has two floors, and she hangs out
24/7 in the den downstairs, so I put her upstairs somewhere pretty far
from the den.  Then she walks back downstairs.  At first she had to
stop a few times on the way to rest, but she no longer needs to.

This really seems to have helped my cat - she is no longer limping, and
she has become much more active and enthusiastic.

Maybe I've missed a reply in this string, but the obvious seems to be to
weigh yourself on a bathroom scale, and then weigh yourself with the cat.  
It takes a bit of second grade math, but it seems to work fine with my
fathead cats.