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I took my cat in to the vet the other day for her annual exam and shots. The tech took her temperature and weighed her: "Nine point one five pounds," she announced, and I was a bit bemused that the scale weighed to such a level of precision, but figured with smaller animals it made sense. Then one of the vets (or a woman I presumed was the vet; fortunately Kitty hasn't had a lot of emergencies, so I don't really know the staff there) came in and looked at the paperwork. "Nine point one five pounds, and she was nine point two last year, so she's even lost a little weight, good."
(I know that nine or ten pounds doesn't sound like a particularly heavy cat, but she's a tiny thing with short legs and a stumpy tail. She's small and round, and actually, quite adorable. But she is most definitely overweight.)
I frowned. I didn't think she'd lost weight. I went over to the scale and pressed my hand on it, watching the numbers climb. And I noticed the decimal turnover: 5.8, 5.9, 5.10, 5.11...to 5.15 and then 6. "I think the tech misread the scale," I said. "It's not in fractions, it's in pounds and ounces. She's nine pounds fifteen ounces, just under ten pounds, so she's gained weight."
"No, it's nine point one five, see? There's a chart on the side so you can convert to ounces."
"But see, it's already in ounces." I showed her how the reading changed as I pressed my hand on the scale, how it was only logical if it was pounds and ounces and not pounds and fractions.
"But there's a chart to convert, see? Point one five pounds is, would be, let's see, point nine four ounces. And anyway, the important thing is that her weight is almost the same, nine point two to nine point one five."
At this point I gave up.
(I know that nine or ten pounds doesn't sound like a particularly heavy cat, but she's a tiny thing with short legs and a stumpy tail. She's small and round, and actually, quite adorable. But she is most definitely overweight.)
I frowned. I didn't think she'd lost weight. I went over to the scale and pressed my hand on it, watching the numbers climb. And I noticed the decimal turnover: 5.8, 5.9, 5.10, 5.11...to 5.15 and then 6. "I think the tech misread the scale," I said. "It's not in fractions, it's in pounds and ounces. She's nine pounds fifteen ounces, just under ten pounds, so she's gained weight."
"No, it's nine point one five, see? There's a chart on the side so you can convert to ounces."
"But see, it's already in ounces." I showed her how the reading changed as I pressed my hand on the scale, how it was only logical if it was pounds and ounces and not pounds and fractions.
"But there's a chart to convert, see? Point one five pounds is, would be, let's see, point nine four ounces. And anyway, the important thing is that her weight is almost the same, nine point two to nine point one five."
At this point I gave up.