How Much Food Should You Give to Your Cat? Tested Methods!
Feeding your purry little friend is an everyday routine, just like it is for us humans in order to get the necessary nutrients to remain healthy and strong.
Many cat purr-ents, though, are not aware that they should pay close attention to the portion sizes and the frequency of the food they give to their little one.
With that in mind, let’s dive into the basics of how much food you should give to your cat and see why it matters.
Key Findings
How Much Food You Should Give Your Cat – Basic Guidelines
If you want your kitten or cat to become healthy and stay healthy, it is absolutely imperative that you think about how often you give food to them.
Before deciding on the portions, frequency, and types of food, take into account the following aspects:
1. Age
Kittens, adult cats, and senior cats require different amounts of food as they grow up. Cats aren’t like dogs, in a way that you can pour as much food as you want into their bowls, and they’ll eat only enough to make them satiated.
Kittens, on the other hand, require less food. When they’re little they’ll eat as much as possible, unknowingly of course, that the food source will not grind to a halt.
Since they’re little, it means they haven’t learned that food is not scarce yet, so they’ll try to devour a lot. As they grow up, they’ll see that their bowls are always full, so they’ll ease out from eating a lot and will portion themselves up to meet their needs.
2. Size
The next thing to pay attention to is how big or small your cat is. Larger cats naturally require more food, while smaller ones may eat only what they need to fill their energy levels.
Weight control, no matter how that sounds, is something that you should pay attention to when it comes to your purry friends. Being overweight is one thing, but being overweight and having lots of body fat might not be good for your cat’s overall health and well-being.
3. Activities
This is paramount as the activity levels dictate how much food a cat should eat. If your cat is very playful, they may require more food and more visits to the litter box.
However, if your cat doesn’t play a whole lot, and instead is laying down all day being lazy as they are, then you need to portion their food so they do not get too chonky.
With that in mind, note how many times your cat goes to the litter box each day and compare that to the number of times they play and eat throughout too.
4. Indoor vs Outdoor Lifestyle
If you have an indoor cat, this means they burn fewer calories compared to an outdoor cat that ventures into playing, hunting, and constantly running around.
Don’t get us wrong, though, as there are many very active indoor cats out there. Our Kiki is one of them, as she’s an indoor cat and has plenty of fun activities she does on her own and with us as well throughout the day.
That said, it is important to pay attention to their lifestyle and give them food accordingly without worrying about over- or under-feeding them.
🐾 An excellent starting point is to increase the portion sizes as kittens grow into cats, while also paying attention to how active your purry friend is to ensure it doesn’t get too chonky and unhealthy.
Daily Calorie Intake
To keep your cat healthy and sound, you need to carefully select how much food you give to them. When considering calorie intake, take note of the basic guidelines we’ve discussed above.
Additionally, there are various recommendations regarding exactly how many calories a cat should consume. Based on what our vets recommend, here’s a breakdown of kilocalories per kilogram in weight:
| Weight in Kilograms | Kilocalories per Day |
|---|---|
| Up to 1 kg | 100 to 130 |
| 1 to 2 kg | 130 to 170 |
| 2 to 3 kg | 170 to 200 |
| 3 to 4 kg | 200 to 230 |
| 4 to 5 kg | 230 to 270 |
| 5 to 6 kg | 270 to 300 |
| 6 to 7 kg | 300 to 330 |
| Over 7 kg | 330 to 370 |
Portion Control Tips
While knowing the right calorie count per cat weight is really helpful, many purr-ents find it somewhat difficult to measure it the right way. One way you can do this is by reading the food labels and checking the amount of calories per cup or can in one serving.
This will give you a good idea of determining how many calories your cat needs.
For example, if a quarter cup of dry food has 125 calories and your cat needs 250 calories, you would need to give them half a cup for the day.
How Much Food Should You Feed a Kitten
Kittens require frequent but small, high calorie meals to support their growth. This means you should aim for about 60 to 65 calories per serving of body weight daily.
Take note of how your kitty behaves, as their natural instincts prevail over their logical functioning. What this means is that if you pour 4 full servings into their bowl instead of just 1, there’s a fairly strong chance your little kitty will eat the whole bowl.
As we mentioned earlier, they don’t know when the next serving will arrive as they haven’t yet developed that habit. So, be patient when your kitty meows at you for food, even though they’ve just eaten.
How Much Food Should You Feed an Adult Cat
An average adult cat weighs around 3.5 to 4 kilograms (about 8 pounds) and needs approximately 200 calories per day to maintain a healthy weight.
Before giving food to your cat, check the caloric density per cup, especially if you alter between dry and cat foods as they differ massively.
Cats often prefer to eat smaller meals multiple times throughout the day. So it’s best to refill their bowls a few times each day, such as in the morning, then in the afternoon, and, of course, in the evening.
How Much Food Should You Feed a Senior Cat
Cats older than seven years are considered senior cats, and at this point, your cat is ready for a senior cat recipe and routine.
As cats grow older, they slow down, so naturally, their diet needs to be accommodated to meet their calorie needs.
When you’re looking to select the right food, ensure it consists of lots of vitamins and minerals to help improve their muscles, heart, and overall immune system.
🐾 Our advice is to fill their bowls two to three times per day and let them eat as much as they want. Once they learn that there’s an endless supply of food, they’ll eat only the necessary amount.
Feeding Schedules
To keep your cat happy, healthy, and in good weight, be very mindful of how much food you give them. Many experts and veterinarians suggest purr-ents to establish specific meal times and portion sizes based on the cat’s age, weight, and lifestyle.
On the other hand, others suggest quite the opposite – leave food in the bowl and your cat will eat as much as it needs, not one bite more.
While calorie intake varies and purr-ents should pay attention to that, you can always test to see how your cat behaves with a specific plan or by leaving out food all day long.
What we have noticed in Kiki is that we leave food in her bowl throughout the day, and she eats only enough so she can have energy to play, run, and jump around. She isn’t overweight nor has body fat, in fact, she’s pretty muscle-y, strong, and healthy. Our vet always commends us every time we take her for a routine check-up.
🐾 If you opt to leave food for your cat throughout the day, make sure you refill their bowls multiple times, as opposed to leaving the food all day long for it to oxidize, possibly ruining it.
Dry vs Wet Food Portioning
Both dry and wet cat foods have their advantages, and the type you choose to feed your cat affects how much they should actually eat.
Dry food can be left out in the open for longer, which may come in handy if you’re out throughout the day, and your cat can eat whenever they feel peckish. You don’t have to worry about portion sizes with dry food as cats love it, so just replenish their bowls two to three times per day, and you’re good to go.
Wet food, on the other hand, has more moisture, which helps with hydration, but can’t be left in the open for too long as it will go sour, and your cat won’t come back the second time to finish it.
However, wet food has more protein and taurine, and if you feed it regularly to your cat, you might notice aggression, buffiness, and a stickier furr. Therefore, if you decide to feed your cat wet food, make sure to portion it properly.
Wrapping up How Much Should You Feed Your Cat
While there is no exact or scientific answer to the question how much food you should give to your cat, there are some workarounds you should know in order to have your purry little friend as healthy and strong as possible.
With that in mind, you should not preoccupy yourself with limits or specific schedules about meals. Fill their bowls and watch their behavior, see which type of food they love most and get more from it.
Additionally, always keep in mind the age, size, and lifestyle of your cat to determine how much food you should give them.
We hope that this article has helped you better understand the calorie intake, feeding schedules, and portion sizes per servings so that your cat can enjoy a long and healthy life.
