Most healthy adult cats need roughly 20–35 calories per pound of body weight per day (about 45–75 calories per kilogram), depending mainly on age and activity level.

Quick Scoop

Here’s a simple way to think about how many calories your cat should eat each day:

  • Indoor, adult, neutered cat: about 20–25 calories per pound (45–55 per kg).
  • Active or outdoor adult cat: about 25–33 calories per pound (55–75 per kg).
  • Most average adult cats (8–10 lb / 3.5–4.5 kg) land around 160–250 calories per day.

Quick examples

  • 8 lb (3.6 kg) indoor cat: ~160–200 kcal/day.
  • 10 lb (4.5 kg) indoor cat: ~200–250 kcal/day.
  • 12 lb (5.5 kg) indoor cat: ~240–300 kcal/day.

If your cat needs to lose weight, many vets aim for roughly 80% of their maintenance calories or “feed them like they’re a bit lighter” so weight comes off slowly and safely.

How to calculate it for your cat

  1. Find your cat’s current weight.
    • Use pounds or kilograms from a home scale or vet visit.
  2. Choose the right range:
    • Indoor, mostly sleeping or lounging: closer to 20–25 kcal/lb.
 * Very playful kitten or outdoor hunter: closer to 25–33 kcal/lb.
  1. Do the math.
    • Example: 9 lb indoor adult
      • 9 × 22 kcal ≈ 200 kcal/day (a common target).
  1. Match food to calories.
    • Look at the food label for “kcal per cup/can” and measure out the right amount for the day.

When your cat is not “average”

These are general guidelines, and some cats need quite a bit more or less than calculators suggest.

  • Kittens: often need about 2–2.5 times adult “maintenance” calories because they are growing.
  • Very overweight cats: usually need a controlled, lower-calorie plan set by a vet so weight loss is slow and safe.
  • Senior cats, cats with thyroid, kidney, or other diseases: their needs can be very different, so always confirm with a vet.

If you’re ever unsure, bring your cat’s weight, current food, and how much you’re feeding to your vet and ask for a target daily calorie number tailored to your cat.

TL;DR:
Most indoor adult cats do well around 160–250 calories per day, adjusted for their exact weight and activity level, but the safest answer is to use these numbers as a starting point and then fine-tune with your vet.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.