If you’re anything like me, and if you are responsible for feeding your cat, you’ve probably wondered how many calories and how much food a cat should eat per day. I certainly have. I spend quite a bit of money each month on food and treats for my cuddly housemates, so the last thing I want to do is underfeed them.
Dogs are great pets. Fluffy, your family pet and the neighborhood wildlife controller, will follow your kid around like a baby duck and bring you his favorite ball pretending he’s an old pro. But does it make sense to feed a dog the same amount that you feed a cat?
How much does a cat eat per day
Do you remember the first time your feline companion pushed a dish full of food onto the floor? Perhaps you had left it on the counter to save space, or maybe your curious kitty just wanted a snack. Either way, it’s more than likely an event you won’t forget. Of course, it wasn’t until much later that you realized the event was simply part of growing up with cats – especially when there are multiple kitties under one roof
According to Hill’s Pet Nutrition, a 5-pound adult cat requires between 187 and 250 calories daily.
You might be wondering how much a cat eats per day. The answer depends on the size of your cat, but also on how many calories it needs to maintain its weight and body temperature. Calories are used to measure the energy content of food, which is measured in kilocalories (kcal). A kilocalorie is the amount of energy required to raise the temperature of 1 kilogram of water by 1 degree Celsius—or about 4.2 pounds by 1 degree Fahrenheit.
Caloric intake varies from breed to breed; for example, outdoor cats will have higher calorie requirements than indoor pets because they expend more energy seeking out food and shelter. The Daily Pet Diet site recommends that an average indoor-only housecat eats about 5 calories per pound each day; this means that a 10-pound cat would eat 50 calories per day.[1] According to Hill’s Pet Nutrition, a 5-pound adult cat requires between 187 and 250 calories daily.[2] However, if you’re feeding your pet raw chicken or other types of protein sources instead of dry kibble or canned food then their caloric requirements will likely increase significantly since they provide more nutrients than standard pet foods do.[3]
The amount of food you feed your cat depends on the calorie density of their food and their age.
The amount of food you feed your cat depends on the calorie density of their food and their age. For example, if a cat eats a high-calorie, low-carbohydrate diet, they’ll need to eat more than one that has fewer calories and more carbs.
The same concept applies to cats’ age: The younger they are, the more energy they require each day compared to an older cat who’s likely already at the peak of their life expectancy.
A 5-pound adult cat needs between 187 and 250 calories per day.
A 5-pound adult cat needs between 187 and 250 calories per day. That’s about the same as you need in a day, give or take, depending on your weight.
You can also think about how much does a cat eat per week, month or year. For example, for a 10 pound cat it would be about 500 calories per day times 7 days to equal 3,500 calories or 1 pound of food! This is just an example of how many calories cats need in order to maintain their weight and feel healthy.
Conclusion
What is the best way to feed your cat? Through all of this research, you should have a pretty good idea by now. Here are a few tips that work for us: Feed your cat wet food in the morning and dry food at night. Make sure to give them plenty of fresh water (about a half cup per day). Be careful not to overfeed or underfeed them; they should be eating about 3/4ths of an ounce of dry food per pound of body weight each day. We recommend splitting this between two meals: one in the morning and one at night, but you can also feed your cat once per day if that’s what works best for them!