How Much to Feed a Cat: Daily Calories by Weight

A healthy indoor adult cat needs roughly 20 to 25 calories per pound of ideal body weight per day. That means a 10-pound cat lands around 200 to 250 kcal, which is usually less than half a cup of dry food. Bag labels routinely overshoot because they're written for an "average" cat who doesn't exist.

The actual math

Vets use a formula called Resting Energy Requirement (RER), then multiply by an activity factor. You don't need a calculator to get close.

For most healthy adult cats:

• Indoor, neutered, normal activity: 20 kcal per pound of ideal weight
• Indoor, prone to weight gain: 18 kcal per pound
• Active or intact cat: 25 to 30 kcal per pound
• Weight loss target: 15 to 17 kcal per pound of target weight, not current

Note "ideal body weight." If your cat should weigh 9 pounds but currently weighs 13, you feed for 9.

Worked example

Mochi is a 12-pound spayed indoor cat. Her vet says her ideal weight is 10 pounds.

• 10 lb × 20 kcal = 200 kcal/day
• Her dry food has 380 kcal per cup
• 200 ÷ 380 = 0.53 cups per day, split into two meals

If she also gets a 3 oz pouch of wet food (about 70 kcal), drop the dry to roughly 1/3 cup.

Why bag labels overshoot

Pet food companies test feeding amounts on intact, lean, lightly active cats in colony settings. Your neutered, climate-controlled house cat burns about 25 to 30% fewer calories than that benchmark. The AAFCO-required feeding guide on the bag is closer to "maximum" than "recommended."

The label might say "5 to 9 pounds: 1/2 to 3/4 cup." For most neutered indoor cats in that range, the truth is closer to 1/3 to 1/2 cup. Trust the calorie panel, not the cup chart.

How to read the calorie panel

Look for "kcal/cup" or "kcal/can" on the side or back of the bag. It's required on all complete and balanced pet foods sold in the US (AAFCO labeling standard, enforced since 2014). Dry kibble usually runs 300 to 500 kcal per cup. Wet food runs 20 to 40 kcal per ounce.

If you can't find a calorie statement, the food may not meet AAFCO completeness standards. Pick a different brand.

Dry vs wet vs mixed feeding

A cup of dry food is dense. A 5.5 oz can of pâté is mostly water. That's why "half a can plus 1/4 cup of dry" is a normal portion for a 10-pound cat, even though it looks like a lot of food.

Wet food has perks beyond calories. Cats are notoriously bad at drinking water, and chronic kidney disease is the leading cause of death in cats over 12 (AAFP feline life stage guidelines). Wet food adds 70 to 80% moisture to the diet. Most vets recommend at least one wet meal per day for indoor cats.

Kittens, seniors, and pregnant cats

Adult math doesn't apply here.

• Kittens under 4 months: Free-feed kitten food. They're growing fast and rarely overeat at this age.
• Kittens 4 to 12 months: Roughly 2x adult maintenance calories per pound.
• Pregnant or nursing queens: 2 to 4x maintenance. Feed kitten food.
• Seniors (11+): Calorie needs can actually rise slightly because aging cats absorb nutrients less efficiently. If your senior is losing weight without trying, see a vet. Hyperthyroidism and kidney disease both cause weight loss.

Treats count

The 10% rule: treats and table food shouldn't exceed 10% of daily calories. For a 200 kcal cat, that's 20 kcal. Three Temptations treats are roughly 6 kcal, so a small handful blows past the limit fast.

A teaspoon of tuna in water? About 5 kcal. A teaspoon of plain cooked chicken? About 8 kcal. These are fine as occasional add-ins, but subtract them from the meal.

Signs you're feeding too much (or too little)

You can't trust the scale alone since cats hide weight in their belly. Use body condition scoring:

• Ideal: You can feel ribs with light pressure, see a waist from above, and there's a slight tuck behind the ribcage from the side.
• Overweight: Ribs are hard to feel through a fat pad. No visible waist. A swinging belly pouch (the primordial pouch is normal, a full hanging belly isn't).
• Underweight: Ribs, spine, and hip bones are visibly prominent.

The WSAVA 9-point body condition chart is the standard most vets use. Aim for a 4 or 5.

When to recheck portions

• After spay/neuter (calorie needs drop 20 to 30%)
• After any 1+ pound weight change
• When switching foods (calorie density varies widely)
• Every annual vet visit

Cats are small. A 1-pound gain on a 10-pound cat is like a 15-pound gain on a 150-pound human. Catching it early matters.

A note on free-feeding

It works for some cats and ruins others. Multi-cat households almost always need scheduled meals so you can tell who's eating what. If you free-feed a single cat and they maintain a healthy weight, fine. If they're creeping up, switch to two or three measured meals.

Run your cat's numbers in our food portion calculator.