Calculating Daily Food Amounts: From Calories to Grams

Start with resting energy requirement: RER = 70 × (body weight in kg)^0.75, or roughly 30 × kg + 70. Neutered adults need about 1.0-1.2 × RER daily, kittens up to 2-2.5 ×, and weight-loss cats are calculated on target weight with a lower factor, subject to veterinary assessment.

Then use the food's metabolizable energy (kcal/kg or kcal/can): divide daily calories by density to get grams or cans. A 4 kg neutered adult needing 200-240 kcal eats about 50-60 g of a 4000 kcal/kg dry food, split into two to four meals.

Treat the result as a starting point: weigh every two weeks and adjust about 10% by body condition, cutting if fat increases and adding if ribs show sharply. Count treats inside the total at under 10%, and feed multi-cat households separately to enforce individual portions.