How Much Wet Food Should I Feed My Cat a Day?
The amount of wet food a cat needs comes down to two numbers: the calories your cat needs a day and the calories in each can or pouch (printed on the label). For a typical spayed or neutered adult cat:
Calories a day = 70 × (weight in kg)^0.75 × 1.2
Cans a day = calories a day ÷ kcal per can
A 10 lb (4.5 kg) neutered adult needs about 260 kcal a day. Divide that by the kcal per can or pouch printed on your food to get cans a day. Wet foods vary a lot, so always use the calories on your own label. The cat food calculator does the maths for wet, dry or a mix.
Calories a day by cat weight
These figures are calculated with the Merck Veterinary Manual factors: 1.2 × resting energy for a spayed or neutered adult, and 1.0 × for an obesity-prone cat.
| Cat’s weight | Neutered adult (kcal a day) | Obesity-prone (kcal a day) |
|---|---|---|
| 6 lb (2.7 kg) | 180 | 150 |
| 8 lb (3.6 kg) | 220 | 180 |
| 10 lb (4.5 kg) | 260 | 220 |
| 12 lb (5.4 kg) | 300 | 250 |
| 14 lb (6.4 kg) | 340 | 280 |
Then divide by the kcal per can on your label. Use your cat’s current weight if it is at a healthy shape, or ask your vet about a target weight if it is overweight.
How much wet food should I feed my cat in grams?
Use the kcal per kg on the label: grams a day = calories a day ÷ kcal per kg × 1,000. If the label only gives kcal per can, divide the can’s kcal by its weight in grams to get kcal per gram, then divide the day’s calories by that. Weighing the food on a kitchen scale is more accurate than guessing by eye.
How much wet and dry food should I feed my cat?
Pick what share of the day’s calories should come from wet food, then split the total. For a half-and-half mix, give half the day’s calories as wet food (÷ kcal per can) and half as dry food (÷ kcal per cup from the dry food’s label). Dry food is far more calorie-dense than wet, so a small change in cups is a big change in calories.
How often should I feed wet food?
Most adult cats do well on two or more meals a day. Wet food left out at room temperature can spoil, so put down what your cat will eat in one sitting and refrigerate opened cans as the label says.
Wet food and water
Wet food is mostly water, which is one reason many owners like it. Cats on wet food often drink little from the bowl, and that is usually normal. The cat water intake calculator shows how much water your cat’s food already supplies and how much should come from the bowl.
Kittens and weight loss
- Kittens need about 2.5 × their resting energy (Merck Veterinary Manual), much more per pound than adults. Feed a kitten food and follow your vet’s advice.
- For weight loss, the AAHA 2021 guidelines give 0.8 × resting energy at the target weight as the starting point. Cats must lose weight slowly, so plan it with your vet. The cat weight calculator estimates a target.
Check the result against your cat
Every cat is different. Weigh your cat every couple of weeks and look at its shape: you should be able to feel the ribs without pressing hard and see a waist. Adjust portions by about 10% at a time.
Get the exact number of cans, pouches or grams for your food with the cat food calculator, or the calories alone with the cat calorie calculator.
Sources: Merck Veterinary Manual, Nutritional Requirements of Small Animals (energy factors for cats); NRC (2006) / WSAVA (RER = 70 × kg^0.75); AAHA 2021 Nutrition and Weight Management Guidelines. Calorie figures are calculated from these formulas; use the calories on your own label. General information, not veterinary advice.