How much should I feed my cat?

Enter your cat's weight, life stage and the calories on your food's label. You'll get daily calories and how many cups or cans that means.

Dry cat food is often 350-550 kcal per cup. A 3 oz can is often 70-100 kcal.
Calories from the label as of October 2026. See how these foods grade.
10% or less is the usual guide.
?cups a day

Feeding analysis

Daily calories
?
Per meal
?
From food
?
From treats
?
Resting energy (RER)
?
Life stage factor
?

Cats should never go without food for more than a day or two. Plan any weight loss with your vet.

How the calculator works

Cats use the same resting energy formula as dogs, RER = 70 × (weight in kg)0.75, with smaller multipliers: 1.2 for a spayed or neutered adult, 1.4 for an intact adult, 1.0 for an indoor cat that gains easily, and 2.5 for kittens.

Daily calories by weight

Calories per day for adult cats at a healthy weight, before treats:

WeightRERNeutered adult (1.2)Indoor, less active (1.0)Weight loss (0.8)
6 lb (2.7 kg)148178148119
8 lb (3.6 kg)184221184147
10 lb (4.5 kg)218261218174
12 lb (5.4 kg)249299249200
14 lb (6.4 kg)280336280224
16 lb (7.3 kg)310371310248

Dry, wet, or both

Wet food is mostly water, so a 3 oz can usually has only 70-100 kcal. A typical 10 lb neutered cat needs around 260 kcal, which is about three small cans a day. If you feed both, use the wet and dry food calculator to split the calories.

Weight loss in cats needs a slow pace

Cats that eat too little for even a few days can develop hepatic lipidosis (fatty liver), which is serious. Aim for slow loss of roughly 1% of body weight a week, and work out the plan with your vet.

Questions

How much should a 10 lb cat eat?

A spayed or neutered 10 lb cat needs about 260 kcal a day. With 10% from treats, that's about ⅝ cup of a 400 kcal/cup dry food, or about 3 cans of an 80 kcal can.

How much should I feed a kitten?

Kittens need about 2.5 × RER and do best with several small meals a day. Recalculate every few weeks as they grow.

Is free-feeding OK?

Many cats overeat when kibble is always out. Measuring a daily amount, even if it sits in the bowl, makes weight much easier to manage.

Sources
  1. Hill's Pet Nutrition, Estimated Energy Requirements (canine and feline)
  2. Pet Nutrition Alliance, Calculating Calories Based on Pet Needs

Last reviewed October 20, 2026. Estimates for healthy pets only, not veterinary advice.