A typical adult domestic cat weighs between 3.5 and 5 kg, or roughly 8 to 11 pounds. Breed changes that number more than most owners expect: a Singapura may be healthy at 2.5 kg while a Maine Coon can be lean at 9 kg. Because of that spread, the honest answer to what should my cat weigh is not a number from a chart but a body condition score you can check with your hands.
The short answer
- Most adult domestic cats sit between 3.5 and 5 kg (8 to 11 lb).
- Breed ranges run from about 2.5 kg to over 9 kg for healthy animals.
- Body condition score matters more than the scale. You should feel ribs easily under a thin fat layer, see a waist from above, and see a tuck from the side.
- A 5% change in a cat's weight is clinically meaningful. For a 4.5 kg cat that is only 225 g.
- Kittens gain roughly 100 g per week for the first six months.
Is my cat a healthy weight?
Choose the breed and age, enter the weight, and compare it with the typical range.
Typical range for Domestic / mixed breed: 3.5 kg to 5 kg
Enter a weight to compare.
A planning aid based on common guidance, not a substitute for your veterinarian.
Cat weight chart by breed
Ranges below describe healthy adult cats at maturity. Males usually sit in the upper half and females in the lower half, and slow-maturing breeds such as the Maine Coon and Norwegian Forest cat are not fully grown until three to four years old.
| Breed | Healthy adult weight (kg) | Healthy adult weight (lb) |
|---|---|---|
| Singapura | 2.0 to 3.5 | 4 to 8 |
| Devon Rex | 2.5 to 4.5 | 6 to 10 |
| Siamese | 2.5 to 5.5 | 6 to 12 |
| Abyssinian | 3.0 to 5.0 | 6.5 to 11 |
| Russian Blue | 3.0 to 5.5 | 7 to 12 |
| Sphynx | 3.0 to 5.5 | 7 to 12 |
| Persian | 3.0 to 6.0 | 7 to 13 |
| Scottish Fold | 3.0 to 6.0 | 7 to 13 |
| Domestic Shorthair | 3.5 to 5.0 | 8 to 11 |
| Burmese | 3.5 to 5.5 | 8 to 12 |
| American Shorthair | 3.5 to 7.0 | 8 to 15 |
| Bengal | 4.0 to 7.0 | 9 to 15 |
| British Shorthair | 4.0 to 8.0 | 9 to 18 |
| Ragdoll | 4.5 to 9.0 | 10 to 20 |
| Norwegian Forest | 4.5 to 9.0 | 10 to 20 |
| Siberian | 4.5 to 9.0 | 10 to 20 |
| Maine Coon | 5.5 to 11.0 | 12 to 24 |
Treat these as orientation, not targets. A pedigree cat at the bottom of its breed range can be perfectly healthy, and a cat sitting comfortably inside the range can still be overweight if the weight is fat rather than frame.
Average cat weight: male vs female
The average adult domestic or mixed-breed cat weighs about 4 to 4.5 kg (9 to 10 lb), and most healthy ones sit between 3.5 and 5 kg (8 to 11 lb). Males are usually heavier: a typical adult male weighs 4 to 5 kg (9 to 11 lb), a typical female 3.5 to 4.5 kg (8 to 10 lb). The domestic shorthair, the ordinary non-pedigree house cat, is the reference here: a healthy one usually weighs 3.5 to 5 kg.
| Weight | Normal for a domestic shorthair-type cat? |
|---|---|
| 3 kg (6.6 lb) | Light. Can be fine for a small-framed female; check ribs and waist |
| 3.5 kg (7.7 lb) | Normal for most females, on the slim side for a male |
| 4 kg (8.8 lb) | Right around the average |
| 5 kg (11 lb) | Upper end of normal, common in males |
| 6 kg (13.2 lb) | Above the usual range; often overweight unless the cat has a large frame |
| 7 kg (15.4 lb) | Probably overweight for a domestic cat; normal only for large breeds |
Frame and breed matter: a big-boned male at 5.5 kg can be lean, and a small female at 4.5 kg can be carrying fat. The body condition score below decides, not the number on its own.
Read nextDiabetes in Cats and Dogs: Symptoms, Early Signs and When to WorryWhy body condition score beats the scale
Veterinary nutrition guidance, including the WSAVA global nutrition guidelines, puts body condition scoring at the centre of weight assessment for exactly this reason. Two cats of identical weight can be in completely different condition depending on their frame and muscle.
Scoring is usually done on a nine-point scale, where 4 to 5 is ideal, 1 is emaciated and 9 is severely obese. You can do a reasonable version at home in about thirty seconds.
How to body condition score a cat at home
- Ribs: run your palms along both sides of the chest. You should feel the ribs easily through a thin layer of fat, similar to feeling the knuckles on the back of your hand. Having to press firmly means too much fat; sharply visible ribs mean too little.
- Waist from above: looking down at a standing cat, there should be a visible narrowing behind the ribcage. A straight or bulging outline suggests excess weight.
- Tuck from the side: the abdomen should rise slightly from the ribcage towards the hind legs rather than hanging level.
- The primordial pouch: the loose flap of skin on the lower belly is normal feline anatomy, not fat. It swings when the cat walks and exists in lean cats too.
Kitten weight by age
Kittens follow a far more predictable curve than adults. A useful rule of thumb is roughly 100 g of gain per week, or about 0.5 kg per month of age, until around six months.
| Kitten age | Typical weight |
|---|---|
| Newborn | 90 to 110 g |
| 1 month | 400 to 500 g |
| 2 months | 0.8 to 1.0 kg |
| 3 months | 1.2 to 1.5 kg |
| 4 months | 1.7 to 2.0 kg |
| 5 months | 2.2 to 2.5 kg |
| 6 months | 2.7 to 3.2 kg |
| 7 months | 2.8 to 3.5 kg |
| 8 months | 2.9 to 3.7 kg |
| 9 months | 3.0 to 3.9 kg |
| 10 months | 3.1 to 4.1 kg |
| 11 months | 3.2 to 4.3 kg |
| 12 months | 3.2 to 4.5 kg |
A kitten that fails to gain for more than a couple of days needs veterinary attention rather than observation, particularly under eight weeks old. Intestinal parasites are a common and easily treated cause - see how often to deworm a cat.
For week-by-week numbers from birth to 16 weeks, see our kitten weight chart by week and month.
What counts as a meaningful change
Cats are small, so percentages matter more than grams. A 5% shift is clinically significant and a 10% shift is a clear signal to book an appointment.
| Cat weight | 5% change | 10% change |
|---|---|---|
| 3.0 kg | 150 g | 300 g |
| 4.0 kg | 200 g | 400 g |
| 5.0 kg | 250 g | 500 g |
| 6.0 kg | 300 g | 600 g |
That is the practical problem with judging by eye. A cat can lose 400 g, which in a human would be equivalent to several kilograms, while still looking entirely normal across the room.
Common causes of weight change
Weight loss despite a normal or increased appetite is a specific and important pattern. In middle-aged and older cats it is commonly associated with hyperthyroidism, diabetes mellitus, chronic kidney disease or intestinal disease, and it warrants a veterinary visit rather than a diet review.
Gradual gain is usually about calories and activity, but it is not benign. Excess weight in cats is linked to diabetes, joint disease and reduced lifespan, and the FelineVMA practice guidelines treat weight management as a core part of preventive care. Crash dieting is dangerous in cats: rapid weight loss can trigger hepatic lipidosis, a serious liver condition. Safe loss is roughly 0.5 to 1% of body weight per week, supervised by a vet.
How to weigh a cat at home
Kitchen scales are too small and bathroom scales are too coarse for a 200 g change. The reliable method is to weigh yourself, then weigh yourself holding the cat, and subtract. Better still, use a baby scale if you have one.
Weigh under consistent conditions: same scale, same time of day, ideally before a meal. Monthly is enough for a healthy adult cat; weekly for kittens, seniors, or any cat under treatment.
Make the trend visible
A single number tells you very little. A line over six months tells you almost everything. Record each weight with its date so a gradual 300 g decline shows up as a slope instead of a vague impression.
PetVitals stores weight as a dated health record for each cat and charts the trend, and it can remind you when the next weigh-in is due. Weight change rarely travels alone, so it is worth knowing the behavioural signals too - our guide to signs your dog is in pain covers the same principle for dogs.
This article is general educational information, not veterinary advice. Healthy weight depends on the individual animal. Ask your veterinarian to body condition score your cat and set a target together.