Cat Calorie Calculator
How much should you feed your cat? Enter their weight and life stage for a daily calorie target — and how that turns into measured portions.
An estimate — real needs vary with metabolism. Most indoor cats are neutered adults. Check the kcal/cup on your food (or kcal/can), split into measured meals, and keep treats under ~10% of daily calories.
Estimate only — not veterinary advice. Every animal is different; for a medication dose, a possible poisoning, or any emergency, call your veterinarian or an animal poison control line right away.
How the calorie estimate works
Daily needs start from resting energy — the calories a cat burns just existing — which scales with body weight as 70 × (weight in kg)0.75. That resting number is then multiplied by a factor for your cat's life stage and activity (a neutered indoor adult is about 1.2; a growing kitten about 2.5). The result is a daily maintenance target in kcal.
Turning calories into meals
Calories only become useful as portions. Find the kcal per cup(or per can) on your food's label and enter it, and the calculator shows how much to serve. Split it across two or more measured meals, weigh or measure every portion, and keep treats under about 10% of the daily total. If your cat needs to lose weight, set the target from the ideal-weight calculator and reduce gradually with your vet.
Frequently asked questions
- How many calories does my cat need a day?
- A typical 10 lb (4.5 kg) neutered indoor cat needs roughly 180–220 kcal a day to maintain weight. The exact number depends on weight, whether they're spayed or neutered, and how active they are. This tool estimates it from a resting-energy formula times a life-stage factor, then converts it to portions.
- How much food is that?
- It depends entirely on the food's calorie density, which is why this calculator asks for the kcal per cup (you can also use kcal per can). Dry foods run roughly 300–500 kcal/cup; a typical can of wet food is about 70–100 kcal. Always measure with a proper cup or a scale — eyeballing is how cats gain weight.
- Should I free-feed my cat?
- For most cats, no. Leaving dry food out all day is a common cause of obesity. Measured meals — two or more a day totalling the daily target — keep weight in check and let you notice quickly if your cat goes off their food, which can be an early sign of illness.
- Do kittens and seniors need different amounts?
- Yes. Growing kittens need far more energy per pound, so choose 'Kitten' in the calculator. Older cats often need a little less as they slow down, though some seniors need more if they're losing muscle — your vet can help you read body condition and adjust.
Sources
These are the references behind this calculator. Where a source gives a range we take the midpoint and round toward caution, and where we go beyond what a source states — an extra safety margin, or a rule of thumb rather than a clinical threshold — the page says so in the text above.
- Global Nutrition Guidelines — WSAVA
- Obesity in cats — VCA Animal Hospitals