Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Sooooooooooo... three months post-amp (yay!), my Harry (spoilt moody middle-aged cat) is in the midst of a weight loss journey. And I'm starting to wonder whether I need a new way to weigh.
We do the human scale - weigh him in my arms > weigh myself > work out the difference - thing. I've been weighing him daily this week, because we've cut down his food a bit more and I don't want him losing too fast, and I've noticed that it fluctuates (I do every day, pre dinner). It's gone:
15
14.8
15
15.2
15.7
15.2
.........??? I can't believe this is accurate, and probably owes something to my own weight fluctuations/the different clothes I'm wearing/who knows?
Anyway, today he got on the scale by himself after I went through our routine. When I weighed him in my arms and did the math, he was at 15.2, but on his own he was at 14.8 :/
Is it more reliable just to let him sit on the scale? I didn't realize that my scale weighed that low, to be honest. Or is it worth it for me to shell out $50 for a baby scale (which is what the internet suggests)? What do you do when you're trying to monitor your pet's weight?
The most accurate method would be the vet's scale, then a Baby scale, then placing Harry on the scale alone.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Thanks! He's too tense to go to the vet regularly enough to use their scale, and I can't afford one for home. I'll continue with him on the scale on his own for a while and if it's still going up and down will shell out for the baby one.
I used a food scale once for Mona. She went limp when I put her in a food bowl. I'm not sure how accurate it was.
Phone your vet and see what they would suggest. I seem to recall the concern for Mona was losing a pound in a couple of weeks. I've read that weight loss should occur at a rate of no more than 1-2% of the cat’s total body weight per week to reduce the risk of hepatic fatty liver disease. With Harry being 15 pounds, he can safely lose .3 pounds a week. You might not really see this on a scale daily. Perhaps you could weigh once a week first thing in the morning.
I like that he went on the scale himself. Smart fella!
Kerren and Tripawd Kitty Mona
We weigh our guys once a week since we started our diets. We got a digital pet scale on amazon smile.
It was a investment it was $54. We thought it was well worth it for a lifetime with them both and to do the weight loss journey safely.
We put a cardboard box on the scale and zero it out, then put them in the box. The scale top is too small to keep them on it. This works for us. If Harry likes boxes and happily gets in this would be a option .
A baby or pet scale works best since you want to be measuring ounces too. You want to see the ounces coming off slowly, this helps you stay sane too;) Slow is so important in our cats as Kerren already mentioned . I wouldn't get on the scale everyday thats not great for either of you 😉lol
Purrkins brother Saxton is demonstrating for you;)
I'll provide the link of this one in case you decide you want to invest in one.
ZIEIS | 30 Lb. Capacity | Digital Pet Scale | Z30P-DURA
Hugs to you both !
Holly & Purrkins
Wow, that's an excellent idea!
Harmony became a Tripawd on 10/21/14 (MCT). She left us way too soon on 11/1/14.
"We miss you so much; our love, our heart, our Harmony."
- Pam, Ron and Melody, Meesha, Doublestuff and Mariah Carey
Just look at Saxton sitting on the scales for his weigh in! 
Love it
Meg. Clare and Elsie Pie xxx
Ruby, Staffy, born June 2022, became a Tripawd, November 2023, adopted January 2024.
Also Angel Tripawd Meg (aka The Megastar), who died in April 2023, aged 14, after seven glorious years on three, and Angel Staffies Elsie Pie and Bille. In the pawprints of giants...
So Kerren- what would your neighbors think if they saw you weighing a bowl of Mona on a food scale? I hope you weren't in the kitchen.
I'm sorry, I've been giggling all morning since I got that visual 
Karen
Tri-pug Maggie survived a 4.5 year mast cell cancer battle only to be lost to oral melanoma.
1999 to 2010
KAREN!!! LMAO!!! 🙂 🙂 🙂
Happy Hannah had a glorious additional bonus time of over one yr & two months after amp for osteo! She made me laugh everyday! Joined April's Angels after send off meal of steak, ice cream, M&Ms & deer poop!
Yes Karen, now that you mention I can see how the visual is quite funny. 
What was Mona thinking? Why does she let me do those things?
And I was in the kitchen. Oh well, at least the neighbours know I'm a vegetarian. It's a good thing I didn't put her in a soup pot.
Kerren
Thanks all
I read that cats shouldn't lose more than 2% per week as well, which is why I started doing daily weigh ins for a little while when we're adjusting his food...but I'm not sure how accurate the daily fluctuations are. I haven't seen a pet scale for under a hundred dollars, so that was a good buy! I think food scales only go up to 15lbs...
I asked the vet tech while I was in picking up food, and she said basically the same - that weighing him on my human scale on his own is better than holding him and weighing him, but it's not as accurate as a pet or baby scale.
We'll see how the next week goes.
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