Health
Body condition
In short
Body condition describes how much fat a cat or dog carries. Vets assess it with a body condition score (BCS) chart.
Key points
- The WSAVA charts below are tools for veterinary teams, not a guide to scoring your pet at home.
- The WSAVA chart descriptions are quoted separately for dogs and cats. One species' description is never used for the other.
- Whether your own pet is a healthy weight is for a vet to judge. Consult your vet.
What the score measures
WSAVA (international) describes its body condition charts:
These charts and videos can help the veterinary healthcare team to accurately assess body condition, a measure of fat stores, at every visit.WSAVA Global Nutrition Guidelines
WSAVA (international) distinguishes muscle condition:
Compared to the body condition score, which assesses fat stores, the muscle condition score assesses the animal’s muscle, which can be affected by disease or aging.WSAVA Global Nutrition Guidelines
Dogs
WSAVA (international) dog chart describes BCS 5 (ideal) as
Ribs palpable without excess fat covering. Waist observed behind ribs when viewed from above. Abdomen tucked up when viewed from side.WSAVA Body Condition Score: Dog (2025)
WSAVA (international) dog chart describes BCS 7 (over ideal) as
Ribs palpable with difficulty; heavy fat cover. Noticeable fat deposits over lumbar area and base of tail. Waist absent or barely visible. Abdominal tuck may be present.WSAVA Body Condition Score: Dog (2025)
Cats
WSAVA (international) cat chart describes BCS 5 (ideal) as
Well-proportioned. Ribs felt with slight fat covering. Waist seen behind ribs, but not pronounced. Abdminal [sic] fat pad minimal.
We have not yet added the cat chart's descriptions of other scores. The dog descriptions above do not apply to cats.
WSAVA Body Condition Score: Cat (2025)US guidelines
AAHA (US) says one aim of its 2021 guidelines (written for vets) is to
Provide recommendations for diagnosis, treatment, and management of under- or overweight pets.
AAHA has no public body condition chart in our archive.
2021 AAHA Nutrition and Weight Management Guidelines for Dogs and CatsThese are general statements from the organisations named above, not advice for your pet. For anything about your own cat or dog, consult your vet.
Sources
- WSAVA Body Condition Score: Dog (2025) WSAVA (international). Saved copy fetched 2026-10-13T23:55:02+08:00.
- WSAVA Body Condition Score: Cat (2025) WSAVA (international). Saved copy fetched 2026-10-13T23:55:02+08:00.
- WSAVA Global Nutrition Guidelines WSAVA (international). Saved copy fetched 2026-10-13T23:49:59+08:00.
- 2021 AAHA Nutrition and Weight Management Guidelines for Dogs and Cats AAHA (US). Saved copy fetched 2026-10-13T23:49:59+08:00.