Adult Cat Daily Feeding Calculator
Estimate daily calories and food portions to help maintain your adult cat’s current healthy weight.
Tell us about your cat
Choose a concern for illness, poor appetite, recovery, prescribed diets, or unexpected weight or muscle change.
Choose healthy body condition only if your veterinary team has confirmed it at a recent assessment.
What does healthy body condition mean?
An ideal body condition means your cat is neither too thin nor carrying excess body fat. Body condition looks at body fat, not just the number on the scale.
For this calculator, choose “Healthy body condition” only when your veterinary team has confirmed a Body Condition Score (BCS) of 5 out of 9. Choose “Not sure” if this has not been confirmed.
A reduced appetite needs veterinary advice, not a lower calorie target.
Contact your veterinary team promptly if appetite drops. A cat eating little or nothing for 24 hours needs veterinary assessment the same day. Call sooner if your cat seems unwell.
Use a measured weight, not a goal weight.
Indoor or outdoor access alone does not mean your cat needs more calories. Choose “Less active / tends to gain weight” only if your veterinary team considers it appropriate.
Looking for ways to encourage movement? See Cat Play & Enrichment for Healthy Weight.
Your estimate updates when the required entries are complete.
Your daily calorie estimate
For maintaining current weight, not for weight loss.
Save or print your estimate
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The printed summary includes the method and disclaimer. This calculator does not save entries between visits.
When to use a different feeding plan
For healthy, fully grown adult cats at an ideal body condition, BCS 5/9, confirmed by their veterinary team. Use current weight, not a goal weight. This tool is not for growth, pregnancy, nursing, illness, recovery, or unplanned weight change.
For a cat above or below ideal condition, ask your veterinary team for an individual feeding plan. Start with the cat weight loss guide when weight loss may be appropriate. The Step-Based Weight Loss Planner is a separate veterinary tool.
Normal appetite is also required. Choose healthy body condition only when your veterinary team has confirmed BCS 5 out of 9 at a recent assessment. Choose “Not sure” if this has not been confirmed.
Why appetite changes need attention
How the estimate is calculated
RER = 70 × current body weight in kg0.75
Daily maintenance estimate = RER × the selected reference factor.
RER means resting energy requirement. MER means maintenance energy requirement and includes routine activity. Do not add estimated exercise calories on top.
| Reference category | Factor used |
|---|---|
| Typical adult, spayed/neutered | 1.2–1.4 × RER |
| Typical adult, intact | 1.4–1.6 × RER |
| Sedentary / prone to weight gain | 1.0 × RER |
These are starting reference factors, not minimum or maximum safe intakes. The sedentary category uses its own factor without another spay/neuter adjustment. The calculation does not apply a separate age, breed, or outdoor-access bonus.
The displayed range comes from the factor range, not a fixed percentage around the result. It is not a confidence interval or a guarantee that your cat's needs fall within it. A single-factor result is still approximate.
Daily calories are rounded to the nearest whole calorie. Treat allowances are rounded down to whole calories so they cannot exceed the selected percentage of the displayed total. Main-food calories are the remainder. Per-meal values are approximate divisions of those main-food calories.
AAHA 2021, Box 1: Energy Requirement Calculations supplies the RER equation and the maintenance factors listed here. The original label “inactive/obese prone” is presented as “sedentary / prone to weight gain.” The categories are not added together.
AAHA guidance for healthy pets at an appropriate weight supports reviewing current intake, nutritional adequacy, and the contribution of treats and extras. Ohio State's nutrition service explains why individual calorie needs can differ substantially from calculated estimates.
Cornell Feline Health Center: anorexia supports prompt veterinary assessment of reduced appetite. Its hepatic lipidosis guidance explains the liver risk associated with inadequate intake.
Senior cats: Review changes in appetite, weight, or muscle condition with your veterinary team. This calculator does not apply an automatic age-based calorie adjustment.
Important limitations
This calculator provides general maintenance-energy estimates for apparently healthy, fully grown adult cats eating normally and at an ideal body condition, BCS 5/9, confirmed by their veterinary team. It does not determine ideal weight, diagnose obesity, create a weight-loss or weight-gain plan, or assess whether a diet meets nutrient needs.
Your cat's actual needs may fall outside the estimate. A veterinary team can set a different calorie intake, treat allowance, and recheck schedule using current intake, weight trend, body condition, muscle condition, age, activity, and health.
Follow your cat's prescribed feeding plan. Do not reduce food, skip meals, add exercise calories, or change that plan based on this result alone. A displayed number does not confirm that an intake is appropriate or safe. If your cat is maintaining an ideal condition on a different intake, do not change it just to match the calculator.