How much a cat should eat depends on the catβs life stage, body condition, and the foodβs calories.
You should feed your cat the amount required to maintain a healthy, ideal weight.
The average 10-pound adult cat eats around 4 oz of raw per day.
But it depends entirely on your cat’s individual needs. Use the feeding chart and calculator below!
Cat feeding chart by weight
The following chart is the NRC guidelines for average daily energy needs based on calories per day.
5 lb | 10 lb | 15 lb | 20 lb | |
Kittens (after weaning) | 200 | — | — | — |
Lean adult cat | 170 | 280 | 360 | 440 |
Overweight adult cat | 180 | 240 | 280 | 310 |
Pregnant/nursing cat | 336 | 603 | 851 | 1,091 |
Use this caloric intake as a general guideline and adjust based on your cat’s individual needs.
Big emphasis on general guideline.
Jericho is 10 pounds, lean, and active. His homemade raw meaty bones diet provides 200 calories daily. This amount keeps him at an ideal weight.
How much to feed calculator
This amount is a general guideline.
Please adjust your cat’s food intake based on the resources below.
How to determine how much a cat should eat
Every cat is an individual. And every food is individual.
So there is no “feed this amount” number that anyone can tell you.
Figure out how much your cat should eat with these 5 factors:
- Cat weight
- Body condition score
- Cat food calories
- Cat’s life stage
- Your cat’s individual needs
We must use all 5 in combination.
Cat weight
Your cat’s weight gives you a baseline number to work with.
The cat food label goes by calories and weight. So we need to use weight in our calculations.
Body condition score
A body condition score card helps you determine if your cat is underweight, ideal, or overweight.
Body condition shows you that how much you are feeding is too little, just right, or too much.
Cat food calories
The cat food label feeding guidelines are based on the cat’s weight and the food’s energy density (calories).
We use this to determine how much of that specific food our cat should eat.
Cat’s life stage
The cat’s life stage is either kitten, adult, or pregnant/nursing. Kittens and pregnant/nursing cats require more energy (aka food).
Your cat’s individual needs
You have to adjust how much you feed your cat based on your cat’s individual needs.
How much you should feed your cat
You should feed your cat the right amount of calories required to maintain a healthy, ideal weight.
There is no one “feed this amount” number that anyone can tell you.
You have to weigh your cat regularly, check a body condition score, and use the cat food label as a general guideline to determine how much to feed your cat.
Use the calculator on this page as a general guideline. Adjust how much you feed your cat based on your cat’s individual needs.
Need help finding healthy cat food? Check out my cat food labels guide next!