🐱 Cat Feeding Calculator
Calculate Perfect Daily Food Portions Based on Weight, Age & Activity Level
Feline Medicine Specialist • 12 years experience • 8,000+ cat patients
🎯 Expert Tips from Dr. Sarah Lin, DVM
- The "Feel Test" is mandatory: Run your hands along your cat's sides weekly. You should easily feel ribs without pressing hard, but they shouldn't be visible. If you can't feel ribs, your cat is overweight—time to cut portions by 10-15%.
- Calorie density varies wildly: I've seen dry foods range from 280 to 550 kcal/cup. ALWAYS check the bag's "Calorie Content" statement. That's why measuring cups are worthless if you don't know the food's energy density.
- The "hungry meow" is a scam: Cats are con artists. In my clinic, I've seen perfectly fed cats convince owners they're "starving" and balloon to 20+ lbs. If your cat maintains weight on proper calories, those 4am yowls are manipulation, not starvation.
- Wet food is medicine: I tell every owner—at least 50% wet food prevents 70% of urinary blockages in male cats (which cost $2,000-$5,000 to treat). The hydration boost from wet food is something water bowls can't replicate.
⚠️ Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Following the bag's feeding guide: Pet food companies want you to overfeed (= buy more food). The "suggested serving" on the bag is often 30-40% too high. One of my patients fed per bag instructions and her cat gained 8 lbs in a year. Use RER formula instead.
- Free-feeding dry food: Leaving a full bowl out 24/7 is the #1 cause of feline obesity. Cats don't self-regulate like dogs do. A client's cat ate herself to 22 lbs doing this—it took her 18 months to lose the weight safely.
- Ignoring life stage changes: Senior cats (10+) need 20-30% fewer calories as their metabolism slows. Keep feeding them like adults, and they'll pack on pounds. I've seen this dozens of times—"But I feed him the same as always!" Yeah, that's the problem.
- Treating without accounting: Treats should be MAX 10% of daily calories. Those freeze-dried treats are 5-10 calories EACH. Give 10 treats, and you've added 50-100 calories—that's half a meal! Client's cat stayed chubby for months until she realized the "just a few treats" were sabotaging the diet.
How to Feed Your Cat: Science-Based Guide
Understanding Cat Calorie Needs
Cats are obligate carnivores with unique metabolic needs. Unlike dogs, they're designed for multiple small meals throughout the day (mimicking catching mice every few hours). The magic formula is Resting Energy Requirement (RER):
RER = 70 × (body weight in kg)^0.75
For a 10-lb (4.5kg) cat, that's about 180 calories/day at rest. Then multiply by activity factor:
- Kittens: RER × 2.5 (they're growing machines)
- Active adults: RER × 1.4
- Indoor adults: RER × 1.2
- Senior cats: RER × 1.1
- Weight loss: RER × 0.8 (never go lower without vet supervision)
Wet vs Dry Food: The Real Comparison
This debate is exhausting, so here's the truth from years of practice:
| Wet Food | Dry Food | |
|---|---|---|
| Hydration | 75-80% water (HUGE benefit) | 8-10% water |
| Calorie Density | 70-100 kcal per 3oz can | 300-500 kcal per cup |
| Cost | $2-4/day | $0.50-1.50/day |
| Dental Benefits | None (but doesn't cause issues) | Minimal (kibble doesn't "clean teeth") |
| Convenience | Goes bad in 4 hours | Can leave out longer |
My recommendation: 70% wet, 30% dry. Feed two wet food meals (morning/evening), leave small measured portion of dry for grazing. This gives hydration + cost savings + meal flexibility.
Reading Cat Food Labels (The Stuff They Don't Tell You)
Pet food labels are intentionally confusing. Here's what matters:
1. Guaranteed Analysis (GA) is almost useless
That "Crude Protein: 10%" on wet food vs "Crude Protein: 32%" on dry food? Meaningless because of
moisture content. You need Dry Matter Basis calculation:
Protein (DM) = [Protein % / (100 - Moisture %)] × 100
A wet food with 10% protein and 78% moisture = 45% protein DM. That beats most dry foods!
2. Named protein sources matter
"Chicken" = good. "Chicken by-product meal" = beaks and feet (still nutritious but gross). "Poultry
meal" = mystery birds. "Meat meal" = red flag, could be anything.
3. AAFCO statement is non-negotiable
Look for: "formulated to meet AAFCO Cat Food Nutrient Profiles" or even better: "Animal feeding
tests using AAFCO procedures." If it says "for intermittent or supplemental feeding only," it's not
complete nutrition.
The Weight Loss Protocol (That Actually Works)
Safe cat weight loss is MAX 1-2% of body weight per week. Faster than that risks hepatic lipidosis (fatty liver disease), which is often fatal. For a 15-lb cat:
- Week 1-2: Reduce food by 10-15% (don't shock their system)
- Weeks 3-12: Aim for 0.15-0.3 lb loss per week
- Monitor weekly: Same scale, same time of day, same conditions
- Adjust as needed: If no loss after 2 weeks, cut another 5-10%
A 15-lb cat reaching ideal 12 lbs will take 20-30 weeks. I know, it's painfully slow. But crash diets KILL cats. I've lost patients to well-meaning owners who cut food too fast.