How many calories should a cat eat per day?
A healthy adult cat on a maintenance diet requires 264 calories per day. Kittens, pregnant and lactating cats require more calories.
The best way to calculate a cat’s daily requirements is to calculate your cat’s resting energy requirements (RER) which is the amount of energy (in calories) expended in a day without any activity; it is similar to basal metabolic requirements.
Calculating resting energy requirements
The formula for calculating RER in cats is as follows:
30 x (body weight in kilograms) + 70
Once you have calculated your cat’s RER, the formula then shows how to calculate your cat’s DER (daily energy requirements) which is several calories your cat should eat each day.
Always seek veterinary advice before you put a cat on a calorie-restricted diet.
Source: DVM
Resting energy requirements (RER)
How many calories for growing kittens
Below is a table summarizing calorie requirements for a kitten, based on the weight:
How many calories for a desexed adult cat (maintenance)
Below is a table summarizing calorie requirements for a desexed adult cat based on the cat’s weight: