Stop guessing. Enter your cat's weight, age, and food type to get exact daily portions in cups, cans, or grams, plus a personalized feeding schedule for every meal of the day.
Reference Chart
Based on age-based feeding guidance. Use this chart as a reality check, then let kcal math handle the final portion.
| Age | Weight | Dry Food/Day | Wet Food/Day | Meals |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Under 1 week | 85-200g | Formula 25-65ml | - | 12x |
| 1-2 weeks | 140-400g | Formula 40-110ml | - | 10-12x |
| 2-3 weeks | 340-450g | Formula 110-125ml | - | 6-8x |
| 3-4 weeks | 450-680g | 11g | 40g | 6-8x |
| 4-8 weeks | 590g-1.2kg | 18g | 65g | 3-4x |
| 2-3 months | 1-1.8kg | 20-30g | 65-110g | 3-4x |
| 3-6 months | 1.6-3.2kg | 30-50g | 130-165g | 3-4x |
| 6-9 months | 2.7-4.5kg | 45-60g | 160-215g | 2-3x |
| 9-12 months | 3.2-6.8kg | 50-85g | 150-300g | 2-3x |
| 1-5 years | 3.6-9kg | 60-105g | 160-365g | 2-3x |
| 5-10 years | 3.6-9kg | 60-105g | 160-365g | 2-3x |
| 10+ years | 3.6-9kg | 60-105g | 160-365g | 2-4x |
| Life stage | Weight | Daily calories | Dry food/day | Wet food/day | Meals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kitten | 5 lb | 320 kcal | 0.8 cup (95g) | 10 oz (285g) | 3-4x |
| Kitten | 10 lb | 540 kcal | 1.4 cups (168g) | 17 oz (480g) | 3-4x |
| Adult | 8 lb | 230 kcal | 0.6 cup (72g) | 7 oz (200g) | 2x |
| Adult | 10 lb | 280 kcal | 0.7 cup (84g) | 9 oz (255g) | 2x |
| Adult | 15 lb | 360 kcal | 0.9 cup (108g) | 11 oz (312g) | 2x |
| Overweight | 15 lb | 280 kcal | 0.7 cup (84g) | 9 oz (255g) | 2-3x |
| Overweight | 20 lb | 310 kcal | 0.8 cup (96g) | 10 oz (285g) | 2-3x |
| Pregnant | 10 lb | 390 kcal | 1.0 cup (120g) | 12 oz (340g) | 3-4x |
| Senior 7+ | 10 lb | 250 kcal | 0.6 cup (72g) | 8 oz (227g) | 2-3x |
Feeding Guide
Age, weight, body condition, activity level, indoor lifestyle, neuter status, and food type all change the final portion. Kittens need more calories and more frequent meals for growth. Overweight cats need a target-weight calculation and slow adjustment. Pregnant or lactating cats can need much higher energy intake, so veterinary guidance matters.
The biggest mistakes are feeding an overweight cat by current weight instead of ideal weight, using a coffee mug instead of a measuring cup, forgetting treat calories, guessing mixed wet/dry portions by volume, and free-feeding calorie-dense dry food.
About 61% of US cats are overweight or obese. Extra weight is associated with 4.5x higher diabetes risk, 7x higher musculoskeletal risk, and about 2x higher risk of dying younger, so measured portions matter.
Wet food is usually 70-80% water, so it supports hydration and has lower calorie density by volume. Most 85g cans contain about 60-130 kcal. Divide your cat's meal calories by the kcal per can on the label to calculate cans per day, then split that amount by meal count.
Dry food is compact and calorie dense, commonly around 300-500 kcal per cup. That means a correct portion can look surprisingly small. Measure with a gram scale when possible, and avoid free-feeding unless a veterinarian recommends it for a specific reason.
Mixed feeding works best when you split calories, not volume. For a 250 kcal plan at 60% wet, 150 kcal comes from cans and 100 kcal comes from kibble. This gives hydration from wet food while keeping the convenience and enrichment options of dry food.
Treats should stay at or below 10% of daily calories. The calculator subtracts entered treat calories from meal calories so rewards do not quietly push the full day over target. If treats exceed the budget, reduce treats or use part of the measured meal as training rewards.
Look for the Calorie Content statement near the guaranteed analysis. Dry foods usually list kcal/kg and kcal/cup, while wet foods list kcal/kg and kcal/can or tray. Use the package value for your exact formula because brands and textures vary widely.
Related Tools
Calculate carbohydrates from cat food Guaranteed Analysis values, convert to dry matter basis, and compare up to four foods.
Compare your cat's weight against breed-specific healthy ranges and get a Body Condition Score interpretation.
Get daily kcal targets using feline RER and MER formulas adjusted for spay status and activity level.
Calculate Resting Energy Requirement with the vet-standard 70 x W^0.75 formula, full steps, and MER scenario table.
Feeding interpretation
Feeding advice becomes useful when it connects three things: the calories your cat needs, the calorie density printed on the food label, and the meal pattern your cat can actually follow. This page is built around that bridge, with wet-only, dry-only, and mixed-feeding portions shown as daily and per-meal amounts.
The top-line kcal target is the budget. The wet, dry, and mixed portion cards show how that budget turns into food. The treat tracker keeps rewards inside the same calorie system, and the age chart helps confirm that the meal frequency is reasonable for kittens, adults, and seniors.
Two foods with the same serving size can have very different calories. The package calorie statement is the source of truth for portion math.
A 60% wet and 40% dry plan means 60% of calories from cans and 40% from kibble, not 60% of bowl volume.
Measured meals make changes visible. Free-feeding makes it harder to know whether hunger, boredom, or over-pouring is driving weight gain.
The right follow-up depends on whether the issue is portion accuracy, hydration, weight change, or meal behavior. Use the calculator result as the baseline, then make one clear adjustment at a time.
Cat gains weight
Check treat calories, dry-food measuring accuracy, and whether free-feeding is hiding extra intake.
Switch to measured meals and consider the weight or calorie calculator for a target-weight plan.
Cat seems hungry
Hunger can reflect boredom, fast eating, low wet-food volume, or a true calorie mismatch.
Try smaller frequent meals, puzzle feeding, and weight tracking before increasing calories.
Switching foods
Recalculate portions whenever kcal per cup or kcal per can changes, even if the package size looks similar.
Update the food database selection or manual label value and transition gradually.
Weigh weekly when changing food, goal, or treat routine.
Review weight and body condition monthly when the plan is stable.
Ask a veterinarian if appetite, thirst, weight, vomiting, or stool changes appear.
Find the Calorie Content statement on the label and update kcal per cup or kcal per can if your exact product differs.
Use a kitchen scale or level measuring cup so the calculated portion becomes a repeatable routine.
If weight changes unintentionally for several weeks, adjust food by about 5-10% and keep treats counted.
FAQ
The amount depends on weight, age, activity level, body condition, and food calorie density. Most adult cats need roughly 150-300 kcal per day. To convert calories into portions, divide daily meal calories by the food label value, such as kcal per cup for dry food or kcal per can for wet food.
Most 85g wet food cans contain about 60-130 kcal. A cat needing 250 kcal per day may need around 2-4 small cans depending on the exact formula and treat calories. Always use the kcal per can from your food label.
Most dry cat foods contain about 300-500 kcal per cup. A cat needing 250 kcal per day may only need about 0.5-0.8 cups, and sometimes less. Dry food portions should be measured because over-pouring is common.
Adult cats usually do well with 2 measured meals per day. Kittens need smaller and more frequent meals, often 3-4 meals after weaning and more frequent formula feedings when very young. Senior cats may benefit from 2-4 smaller meals.
Yes. Mixed feeding works well when portions are split by calories. For example, if a 250 kcal plan is 60% wet and 40% dry, calculate 150 kcal from wet food and 100 kcal from dry food separately.
Look for the Calorie Content statement on the package near the guaranteed analysis. Dry food commonly lists kcal per cup and kcal per kg. Wet food commonly lists kcal per can, tray, pouch, or kg.