how many calories should cats eat How to Calculate Your Cat’s Daily Caloric Needs
Determining how many calories your cat needs each day involves several factors, just like it does for humans. Calories are crucial as they provide the energy required for essential functions like digestion, respiration, and maintaining the nervous and circulatory systems. Beyond these basic needs, your cat’s daily calorie intake is influenced by its age, sex, activity level, and overall body condition.
Using the Cat Calorie Calculator:**
- For Weight Loss: Calculate the calories needed for weight loss by adjusting your cat’s intake to create a caloric deficit, but be cautious to do this gradually and under veterinary supervision.
- For Weight Gain: Increase the calorie intake if your cat needs to gain weight. Ensure that the added calories come from nutritious sources.
- Rule-of-Thumb Calculator: Generally, young, active, unspayed or unneutered cats, as well as those who are sick or underweight, will require more calories. Conversely, older cats, spayed or neutered cats, less active cats, and those that are overweight or immobile will need fewer calories.
By understanding these variables, you can better tailor your cat’s diet to meet its specific needs and ensure optimal health.
How to Calculate How Much Your Cat Can Eat Per Day
Feeding your cat the correct amount of food is essential for their health. Too little food can lead to a lack of necessary energy, while too much can cause obesity. To figure out how much food your cat needs each day, follow these steps:
1. **Weigh Your Cat:** You can weigh your cat at the vet or at home. To do this accurately at home, first weigh yourself holding your cat. Then, weigh yourself alone and subtract this second weight from the first. For example, if your combined weight with the cat is 161 pounds and your weight alone is 150 pounds, then your cat weighs 11 pounds.
2. **Calculate Resting Energy Requirements (RER):** Use a cat calorie calculator to determine your cat’s Resting Energy Requirements (RER). This calculation helps you understand the baseline number of calories your cat needs at rest to maintain its weight.
Here’s a table that shows how to calculate your cat’s Resting Energy Requirements (RER) based on its body weight:
– **1 lb (0.5 kg):** 39 calories per day
– **2 lbs (0.9 kg):** 65 calories per day
– **3 lbs (1.4 kg):** 88 calories per day
– **4 lbs (1.8 kg):** 110 calories per day
– **5 lbs (2.3 kg):** 130 calories per day
– **6 lbs (2.7 kg):** 149 calories per day
– **7 lbs (3.2 kg):** 167 calories per day
– **8 lbs (3.6 kg):** 184 calories per day
– **9 lbs (4.1 kg):** 200 calories per day
– **10 lbs (4.5 kg):** 218 calories per day
– **11 lbs (5 kg):** 234 calories per day
– **12 lbs (5.5 kg):** 250 calories per day
– **13 lbs (5.9 kg):** 265 calories per day
– **14 lbs (6.4 kg):** 280 calories per day
– **15 lbs (6.8 kg):** 295 calories per day
– **16 lbs (7.3 kg):** 310 calories per day
– **17 lbs (7.7 kg):** 324 calories per day
– **18 lbs (8.2 kg):** 339 calories per day
– **19 lbs (8.6 kg):** 353 calories per day
– **20 lbs (9.1 kg):** 366 calories per day
– **25 lbs (11.4 kg):** 433 calories per day
Use this table to find the RER for your cat’s weight, which will help you determine its daily calorie needs.
Choose a factor (Table 2) based on your cat’s energy needs and multiply it by the RER
The Resting Energy Requirement (RER) covers your cat’s basic energy needs, but it doesn’t consider factors like activity level or specific conditions. To get a more accurate estimate of your cat’s total daily energy needs, you need to multiply the RER by certain factors. Depending on your cat’s condition and lifestyle, the required calories can vary significantly. Use the appropriate factor from the table below to adjust the RER to your cat’s needs:
– **Neutered adult cat:** 1.2 x RER
– **Intact adult cat:** 1.4 x RER
– **Inactive or obese-prone cat:** 1 x RER
– **Weight loss:** 0.8 x RER for the ideal weight
– **Weight gain:** 1.8 x RER for the ideal weight
– **Kitten (0 to 4 months):** 2.5 x RER
– **Kitten (4 months to 1 year):** 2 x RER
By selecting the appropriate factor, you can better tailor your cat’s diet to match its specific energy needs.
Determine how many calories are in your cat’s food and treats.
To determine how much to feed your cat, check the food packaging or look online for calorie information. Typically, dry cat food is more calorie-dense per ounce compared to canned food. Calories might be listed as “calories” or “kilocalories,” but both terms refer to the same measure. Once you know the calorie content of the food, you can calculate how much your cat needs. Keep in mind that treats should make up less than 10% of your cat’s total calorie intake.
Just like human foods vary in calorie content—where, for example, 1 cup of cooked green beans has about 44 calories, but a cup of macaroni salad has around 360 calories—cat foods differ as well. Some cat food formulas are more calorie-dense than others, meaning you’ll need to feed less of a higher-calorie formula.
Figure out the amounts to feed.
If you feed your cat two meals a day, first subtract the calories from any treats given throughout the day. Then, divide the remaining calories by 2 to determine how many calories should be allocated to each meal. Make sure to use the calorie count specific to your cat’s food to ensure accurate measurement.
Examples of How to Use the Cat Calorie Calculator
Here are a couple of examples to illustrate how to use the cat calorie calculator:
**Example 1:**
Imagine you have a 9-pound adult cat. First, check Table 1 to find the basic calorie requirement for your cat’s weight. According to Table 1, a 9-pound cat needs 200 calories per day. Since your cat is a typical indoor cat with average activity, refer to Table 2, where the factor for a normal, inactive cat is 1. Multiply 200 calories by this factor (1), resulting in 200 calories per day. If you’re feeding a dry food that provides 200 calories per cup and you don’t give treats, your cat can have 1 cup of food each day.
**Example 2:**
Now, consider a 12-pound, very active, intact male cat. According to Table 1, this cat requires 250 calories per day. Since he is both intact and very active, you’ll use the factor of 1.4 from Table 2 to determine his daily calorie needs. Multiply 250 calories by 1.4 to get 350 calories per day. Thus, this cat should consume 350 calories daily.
**Example 3:**
Let’s calculate the calorie intake for a 4-pound, 7-month-old, very active female kitten. According to Table 1, she needs 110 calories per day. Since she’s a kitten between 4 months and a year old, you’ll use the factor of 2 from Table 2 for active kittens. Multiply 110 calories by 2 to get 220 calories. Therefore, this kitten should consume 220 calories per day.
How to Calculate Calories for Weight Loss
If your cat is overweight, aiming for an ideal weight is a healthier approach. Here’s how to calculate the calories needed for weight loss:
For instance, let’s say a recent vet visit reveals that your cat, who weighs 19 pounds, has a body condition that is too high. There is noticeable sagging, and the cat’s shape lacks the typical “hour-glass” figure when viewed from above. According to Table 1, the Resting Energy Requirement (RER) for a 19-pound cat is 353 calories. For weight loss, you should use the factor of 0.8 from Table 2. Multiply 353 calories by 0.8 to get 282 calories. Thus, this cat should consume 282 calories per day to help achieve a healthier weight.
How to Calculate Calories for Weight Gain
If your cat is too thin and needs to gain weight, it’s important to calculate the right amount of calories to help them put on some extra pounds. Thin cats often have a visible rib cage, a narrow waist, and prominent spinal bones.
Here’s how to calculate the calories needed for weight gain: Suppose you have a 6-pound cat that requires additional weight. According to Table 1, the Resting Energy Requirement (RER) for a 6-pound cat is 149 calories. For weight gain, you should use the factor of 1.8 from Table 2. Multiply 149 calories by 1.8 to get 268.2 calories. Therefore, this 6-pound cat should consume approximately 268 calories per day to help gain weight.
Rule-of-Thumb Cat Calorie Calculator
As a general guideline, an adult cat typically needs between 20 to 33 calories per pound of body weight, depending on their activity level. For example, a 10-pound indoor cat generally requires around 200 calories per day, while an active outdoor cat may need approximately 330 calories daily.
I hope this article assists you in determining your cat’s calorie needs. For any specific questions or concerns about your cat’s diet, it’s always best to consult your veterinarian.
