Cat Food Calculator: How Much Should I Feed My Cat?
Enter your cat's age, weight, body shape and activity to get a personal feeding plan. It shows daily calories, grams of dry food, pouches of wet food, treats, water and how many meals to give each day, with a feeding schedule. The calculator uses the formula vets use.
1 About your cat
2 Body shape
Tip: at an ideal weight you can feel the ribs easily under a thin layer of fat, and see a waist when looking from above.
3 Lifestyle
4 Food and meals
Pack sizes and cup size
The calorie figure is on the pack, often as "metabolisable energy" in kcal per 100 g or per kg. Divide kcal per kg by 10 to get kcal per 100 g.
🔒 Everything is worked out in your browser. Nothing is saved or sent anywhere.
🕒 Daily feeding schedule
To save a PDF, choose "Save as PDF" as the printer. It includes your cat's details and the full plan.
How much should I feed my cat?
It depends mostly on your cat's weight, age, whether they are neutered and how active they are. As a rough guide, a healthy, neutered adult indoor cat of about 4–5 kg needs 200–280 kcal a day. A lazy indoor cat is at the lower end and an active one at the top. With a typical dry food that's about 50–70 g (around half to two-thirds of a cup), or about 3–4 pouches of wet food. Kittens need far more for their size, and less active or overweight cats need less.
How the cat food calculator works
- Resting energy requirement (RER): the calories your cat burns at rest. RER = 70 × (weight in kg)0.75. A 4.5 kg cat has an RER of about 217 kcal.
- Daily energy requirement: RER × a life-stage factor. Common factors are 1.2 for a neutered adult, 1.4 for an intact adult, 1.1 for a senior, 2.5–3 for kittens, 2 for pregnancy and up to 6 when nursing. We then adjust slightly for how active your cat is.
- Weight goals: for a cat that needs to lose weight, vets use 0.8 × RER at the ideal weight. For a thin cat, 1.2–1.4 × RER at the ideal weight.
- Turning calories into food: 10% of calories are set aside for treats. The rest is split between wet and dry food using the calorie values from your packs.
How many times a day should I feed my cat?
| Age | Meals per day | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Under 4 weeks | Mother's milk | Orphaned kittens need kitten milk replacer every 2–4 hours. Ask a vet. |
| 4–8 weeks | 4–6 small meals | Weaning: kitten food softened with water or kitten milk |
| 2–4 months | 4 meals | Kitten food: small tummies, big energy needs |
| 4–6 months | 3–4 meals | Still growing fast |
| 6–12 months | 3 meals | Change to adult food at about 12 months |
| 1–10 years | 2–3 meals (or more, smaller) | Cats naturally eat many small meals. Puzzle feeders help. |
| 11 years and over | 2–4 smaller meals | Smaller, more frequent meals suit older digestion |
How much wet food or dry food?
Calories vary widely between brands, so always check the pack. Typical values are:
- Dry food (kibble): about 350–420 kcal per 100 g. A level 250 ml measuring cup holds about 90–120 g.
- Wet food: about 70–110 kcal per 100 g, so an 85 g pouch has roughly 65–90 kcal.
- Mixed feeding: many vets like a mix. Wet food adds water, which supports the kidneys and bladder, and dry food is convenient. Just reduce each one so the total calories stay the same.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know if my cat is overweight?
Run your hands along your cat's sides. You should be able to feel the ribs easily under a thin layer of fat, without pressing. From above, there should be a visible waist behind the ribs. If you can't feel the ribs, or there's a hanging belly, your cat is probably overweight. Your vet can confirm this with a body condition score.
My cat is overweight. Can I just feed much less?
Please don't cut food suddenly or starve your cat. Cats that stop eating, even for a few days, can develop a serious liver condition called hepatic lipidosis. Aim for slow, steady loss of about 0.5–2% of body weight per week, ideally with your vet's guidance, and add more play time.
Should I leave food out all day?
Leaving unlimited food out ("free feeding") often leads to weight gain. If your cat likes to graze, measure out the day's dry food in the morning, ideally in a puzzle feeder, and let them nibble from that. Don't leave wet food out for more than about 30 minutes, or 2 hours at most in a cool room.
How much water should my cat drink?
A cat needs about 50 ml of water per kg of body weight each day, including the water in their food. Wet food is about 75–80% water, so cats on wet food drink much less from the bowl. Always keep fresh water available, and try a water fountain if your cat doesn't drink much.
When should a kitten switch to adult food?
Most kittens move to adult food at about 12 months. Large breeds such as Maine Coons may stay on kitten food until 18–24 months. Change food gradually over 7–10 days by mixing the new food with the old.
How many treats can I give my cat?
Keep treats to no more than 10% of daily calories. This calculator shows your cat's treat allowance in kcal. Check the treat packet, since some treats contain 2–5 kcal each.
This calculator gives an estimate for healthy cats and is for general guidance only. It isn't veterinary advice. Every cat is different, so weigh your cat every 2–4 weeks and adjust portions by about 10% if they gain or lose weight unexpectedly. Please speak to your vet before changing the diet of a cat that is pregnant, nursing, very young, elderly or unwell, for example with kidney disease or diabetes.