Old Skinny Cats: Muscle Condition Scoring

Elizabeth Colleran, DVM, MS, DABVP (Feline), practice owner of the Cat Hospital of Portland, chair of the Cat Friendly Program, expresses why it is important to muscle condition score every cat that comes into your practice rather than body condition score them.

If muscle mass is inadequate, cats will have a slower metabolism, meaning they may gain weight when they’re younger or lose weight because they lose muscle more quickly. An obese cat can have an inadequate muscle mass, but you would not be able to see that without muscle scoring them.