How Many Calories Should My Cat Eat Per Day: At a Glance
Feeding the right number of calories prevents obesity (60% of US cats are overweight) and ensures your cat gets the energy they need without excess.
Daily Calorie Needs by Cat Weight
Life Stage
| Life Stage | Calories per Pound | Daily Range (10 lb cat) | Feeding Frequency | Special Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kitten (0-6 mo) | 60-65 cal/lb | 600-650 cal | 4-6 small meals | Rapid growth — free-feed or frequent meals |
| Kitten (6-12 mo) | 40-50 cal/lb | 400-500 cal | 3-4 meals | Growth slowing, transitioning to adult portions |
| Adult (1-7 yrs) | 20-25 cal/lb | 200-250 cal | 2 meals | Adjust for activity — indoor cats need less |
| Senior (7-10 yrs) | 18-22 cal/lb | 180-220 cal | 2 meals | Metabolism slowing, watch for weight gain |
| Senior (10+ yrs) | 20-25 cal/lb | 200-250 cal | 2-3 small meals | May need more if losing weight; monitor closely |
| Pregnant/Nursing | 40-60 cal/lb | 400-600 cal | Free-feed | Dramatically increased needs; kitten food recommended |
Healthy Feeding Practices
| Use a kitchen scale to weigh food — cups are inaccurate | |
| Read the calorie content on food labels (kcal/cup or kcal/can) | |
| Feed measured meals rather than free-feeding (prevents obesity) | |
| Adjust portions based on body condition score, not just weight | |
| Account for treats — they should be <10% of daily calories | |
| Free-feed dry food without measuring — most cats overeat | |
| Follow feeding guidelines on the bag blindly — they often overestimate | |
| Assume all cats self-regulate — many don't, especially indoor cats |
The '20 calories per pound' rule is a starting point, not a fixed law. An active young cat may need 25-30 cal/lb, while a sedentary senior may need 15-18 cal/lb. The best gauge is body condition: you should feel ribs easily but not see them.
Obesity shortens a cat's life by an average of 2 years and increases risk of diabetes, arthritis, urinary disease, and cancer. If your cat is overweight, work with your vet on a weight-loss plan — never crash-diet a cat, as rapid weight loss can cause hepatic lipidosis (fatty liver disease).
A cat's daily calorie need starts with the resting energy requirement, or RER: 30 times body weight in kilograms, plus 70 (this simplified formula applies to cats and dogs between about 2 and 45 kg). Multiply RER by a life-stage factor, about 1.2 for a typical neutered adult cat, 1.4 for an intact adult, 1.0 for a cat prone to weight gain, and 2.5 for a growing kitten, to reach the actual daily calorie target.
Daily calories for cats
Neutering alone changes the math by 20 percent or more
petstore.comHow to find your cat's calorie target
Cats need a gentler hand during weight loss
Cats losing weight too quickly are at real risk of a liver condition called hepatic lipidosis, so any weight-loss plan should stay gradual and vet-supervised, not a sudden, steep calorie cut.
Neutering alone can drop a cat's calorie needs by roughly 15 to 20 percent, which means the exact same feeding amount that kept a cat lean before surgery can pack on weight afterward without anyone changing a thing.
This is worth getting right because indoor cats in particular gain weight easily, and extra weight raises the risk of diabetes, joint problems, and a shorter life. Bag-of-food feeding charts are built around averages, not the specific cat sitting on your counter, so knowing the actual formula gives you a more precise starting point.
Resting Energy Requirement Is the Number Everything Builds On
RER is the energy a cat burns at complete rest in a comfortable environment. Veterinary nutrition guidelines use a full exponential formula, RER = 70 times body weight in kilograms raised to the 0.75 power, that works at any size, plus a simpler linear version for cats and dogs weighing between 2 and 45 kilograms: RER equals 30 times body weight in kilograms, plus 70. A typical 4.5 kg (about 10 lb) cat has an RER of roughly 30 x 4.5 + 70 = 205 calories.
That number alone isn't a feeding target. It's resting energy, before any activity is factored in.
Neuter Status Changes the Multiplier More Than People Expect
A healthy neutered adult cat at normal activity typically needs about 1.2 times RER, while an intact adult cat runs closer to 1.4 times RER, since intact cats tend to be more active and have a higher baseline metabolism. Cats already prone to weight gain often do better closer to 1.0 times RER, essentially just their resting number. Growing kittens need roughly 2.5 times RER, since building new tissue takes real energy on top of daily activity.
For that same 4.5 kg neutered cat, 205 calories x 1.2 comes out to about 245 calories a day, a number many owners overestimate by feeding on "how much looks like a normal bowl" instead.
Weight Changes in Cats Need a Gentler Hand Than in Dogs
If a cat needs to lose weight, the guideline approach is to calculate intake at around 70 percent of maintenance energy requirement rather than cutting sharply, because cats that lose weight too fast are at real risk of hepatic lipidosis, a serious liver condition triggered when a cat's body mobilizes fat faster than the liver can process it. This is one of the clearest places where "less food, faster" is actually the wrong instinct for this species.
The formula gets you to a sensible starting number tonight. Whether your cat holds steady, gains, or loses over the following month is what actually tells you if that number needs adjusting.
The Merck Veterinary Manual's guidance on nutritional requirements of small animals gives the RER formulas used here (RER = 70 x [body weight in kg]^0.75, or the linear approximation RER = 30 x [body weight in kg] + 70 for animals between 2 and 45 kg) and the maintenance energy requirement multipliers: 1.4x RER for intact adult cats, 1.2x RER for neutered adult cats, 1.0x RER for cats prone to obesity, and 2.5x RER for kittens. The same source notes that obese cats losing weight too quickly are at increased risk of hepatic lipidosis, and that around 70 percent of maintenance energy requirement is one approach used to set a starting point for feline weight loss programs.
Plug in your pet's exact weight and life stage in the Calorie Calculator to get a starting daily calorie target.