How Can You Tell If Your Cat Has a Healthy Body Condition?

by Jenn

This is a sponsored post written for Purina ONE.  All opinions expressed and cats in photographs are my own.  We all hope you’ll give your cat a chance to try Purina ONE Tender Selects Blend with Real Chicken and share your opinion with us in the comments below.

I love and take good care of my cat, but until recently I didn’t know how to tell if my cat has a healthy body condition.  I mean, I can look at her, and she looks happy and healthy, but I had no idea there was an easy way for me to check her body condition until I partnered with Purina ONE® for launch of their new Tender Selects Blend with Real Chicken and learned more about the Whole Body Health Project.

Have you considered your cat’s whole body health?  If you are like me, you have thought about it but weren’t sure where to start.  Thankfully, expert behaviorists and nutritionists from Purina ONE created the Whole Body Health Project to provide cat owners like you and me with daily routines we can create for our cat to promote their lifelong health and happiness.

It’s important to know whether or not your cat has a healthy body condition, which is easier to keep track of than you might think.

Twix

How Can You Tell If Your Cat Has a Healthy Body Condition?

Creating a baseline for your cat’s body condition can help you identify potential problems that may occur in the future.  Signs of a healthy body condition include moderate temperature, punk gums, and tongue, lean muscle, and ribs that can be felt but are not protruding.

Once you establish a baseline, it’s important to routinely check your cat’s body condition to ensure they are maintaining a healthy weight that contributes to their Whole Body Health for a lifetime.  Since my idea of what healthy ribs should feel like and what they are supposed to feel like might be two different things, I am glad Purina ONE taught me how to perform the Knuckle test.   The Knuckle test is an excellent way to ensure your cat’s body condition is healthy?  Don’t worry it’s super easy.

How to use the knuckle test to check your cat’s body condition:

Conduct a knuckle test by following the below steps:

Purina Knuckle Test

1.) First, you will want to put your hand out parallel to the floor and make a fist.

knuckle-test-from-purina

2.) Run your hand over your knuckles.  Be sure to pay attention to how it feels.

Knuckle Test

3.) Now, feel your cat’s ribs. If your cat is healthy, their ribs should feel similar to the way your knuckles felt in Step 1.

twix

purina-one

As we have discussed in the past, it’s important to pay attention to your cat’s Whole Body Health, which consists of their appetite, behavior, and physical condition.  To learn more about Purina ONE’s Whole Body Health Project click here.

Now try the Knuckle Test with your kitty and let us know what you learned about your cat in the comments sections below.

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7 comments

Margot C August 3, 2017 - 9:06 pm

This is all very good information. I have also heard that a cat’s belly should be firm and not distended.

Reply
Veronica Lee July 27, 2017 - 8:37 am

very useful info. I love the idea of being able to check my kitty’s health without consulting a vet.

Reply
Linda Manns Linneman July 15, 2017 - 8:54 pm

This is some great information. Our pets deserve the best. Thank you for sharing

Reply
Linda Manns Linneman July 15, 2017 - 6:47 pm

This is so much great information that I did not know. I love cats. I actually love most animals. My daughter in law has two beautiful cats. I am going to be sharing this with her. Thank you so much

Reply
judethomas21 January 2, 2017 - 3:58 pm

Great info, thank you. It is great to be able to check myself without a vets help.

Reply
Kaitlyn F December 24, 2016 - 11:19 am

Now I know for sure that my cat is overweight!

Reply
auntiepatch69 December 13, 2016 - 6:07 pm

I have never seen this technique done before. I will have to try it!

Reply

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