How Much Should I Feed My Cat or Kitten?

This is probably one of the most common feeding questions- and one of the hardest to answer with a single number.

You'll find feeding charts on food packages, recommendations based on body weight, calculators online, and plenty of people willing to tell you exactly how many grams their cat eats every day.

Those numbers can be helpful.

But they are starting points, not rules.

The amount an individual cat needs depends on much more than their weight. Age, growth, activity level, metabolism, body condition, reproductive status, and the calorie density of the food all matter.

This is especially important with kittens. A growing kitten has very different nutritional needs from a sedentary adult cat, and their food requirements can change quickly as they grow.

So rather than giving you one arbitrary number and telling you to feed it forever, let's talk about how to actually figure out what your cat needs.

Start With the Food You're Feeding

Before you can decide how much food to give, you need to know what is in the food.

A cup of dry food, a can of wet food, a freeze-dried raw meal, and a portion of fresh raw food can contain very different amounts of calories.

Even two different raw foods can vary substantially in calorie density.

That's why I don't like giving a blanket recommendation such as “feed X grams per day” without knowing what food you're talking about.

The amount of food and the amount of nutrition are not necessarily the same thing.

If you're feeding a commercial food, start by looking at the manufacturer's feeding recommendations and calorie information.

If you're feeding homemade raw, you need to know the calorie content of the recipe you're making and, more importantly, make sure the recipe itself is properly formulated to provide complete nutrition.

Growing Kittens

Growing kittens need a lot of nutrition.

They're building bones, muscles, organs, and everything else that goes into becoming an adult cat. Their nutritional needs are not static, either.

A kitten may eat a surprising amount during one stage of growth and then seem to slow down later.

That doesn't necessarily mean anything is wrong.

I don't recommend restricting a healthy, growing kitten simply because they're enthusiastic about eating.

At the same time, “feed as much as they want” isn't necessarily the best approach for every kitten either, especially depending on the quality of food you're offering.

The goal is to provide enough food to support healthy growth without ignoring the kitten's body condition and overall development.

This is one reason I prefer paying attention to the individual kitten rather than following a feeding chart blindly.

So How Do I Know How Much Is Enough?

I look at the whole cat, not just the food bowl.

Some of the things I would pay attention to include:

• Weight and growth

• Body condition

• Activity level

• Appetite

• Stool quality

• Whether they're consistently finishing their meals

• Whether they're regularly leaving significant amounts behind

• Whether they're gaining weight and developing appropriately

A kitten who is growing steadily, active, has good stool, and maintains a healthy body condition is giving you much more useful information than a feeding chart alone.

What About Body Condition?

This is an important skill for every cat owner to learn.

You want to be able to look at your cat and assess whether they're carrying an appropriate amount of body fat rather than relying entirely on the number displayed on the scale.

A healthy weight can look different from one cat to another because cats have different body structures and builds.

For example, a large-framed male British Shorthair may naturally weigh considerably more than a small-framed female without either cat being overweight.

The number on the scale is information- not the entire answer.

If you're unsure how to assess your cat's body condition, your veterinarian can help you learn what you're looking for. I have a resource article that may be helpful to answer how to know if your cat is overweight.

Weight Is Not the Same Thing as Being Overweight

This is something I hear from pet parents fairly often:

“My vet says my cat weighs too much.”

And my first question is usually: Too much compared to what?

A number on a scale doesn't tell you whether a cat is overweight by itself.

Think about humans. If I told you that someone weighs 180 pounds, you couldn't tell me whether that person is underweight, healthy, or obese without knowing anything else about them. A person's height, build, muscle mass, and body composition all matter.

Cats are no different.

A 12-pound cat isn't automatically overweight, just as an 8-pound cat isn't automatically a healthy weight.

Some cats are naturally small. Some have large frames. Some are extremely muscular. Some breeds are simply built bigger than others. And with British Shorthairs in particular, a solid, substantial cat is part of the breed's normal build. This is why I care much more about body condition and body composition than an arbitrary number on the scale.

If your veterinarian tells you that your cat weighs too much, I would want to understand why they believe the cat is overweight.

Are they looking at the cat's body condition? Can you feel the ribs appropriately? Is there excessive fat over the abdomen or chest? Has the cat gained a significant amount of weight recently? Or is the concern simply that the cat weighs more than the number they expected?

A scale is useful. It gives you data.

But the scale shouldn't be making the entire decision for you.

If your cat has a healthy body condition and is maintaining that condition, I wouldn't put them on a restrictive diet simply because they happen to weigh more than an arbitrary target number.

And if your cat truly is carrying excess body fat, that's different. Then the goal is to make an appropriate adjustment while still providing adequate nutrition- not simply to make the number on the scale smaller. You can also try to understand and make a decision for yourself using some of the information on How Do I Know If My Cat Is Overweight?

What If My Kitten Seems Hungry All the Time?

This is where kittens can make you question everything you thought you knew about feeding. 😂

Some kittens are incredibly enthusiastic eaters! To the point, many pet parents become concerned.

If your kitten finishes a meal immediately and acts like you've never fed them in their entire life, that doesn't automatically mean they're being underfed- but it also doesn't mean you should ignore persistent hunger.

Look at the bigger picture.

Is your kitten growing appropriately? Are they maintaining a healthy body condition? Are they active and otherwise doing well? Are they consistently finishing their meals?

If a growing kitten is genuinely hungry and maintaining an appropriate body condition, I would generally rather increase their food than unnecessarily restrict them because a chart says they have reached their daily allowance.

What If They're Leaving Food Behind?

The opposite is also useful information.

If your cat regularly leaves a significant amount of food behind, you may simply be offering more than they need.

You don't have to force a cat to finish every bite.

Pay attention to the pattern.

Leaving a little food behind occasionally isn't concerning- especially because many will come back to finish it within 30 minutes, but if your cat consistently eats only part of the amount you're offering without coming back, you can adjust the portion and see how they respond.

And if a cat who normally eats well suddenly stops eating or has a significant change in appetite, that's different. A sudden, drastic appetite change can be a sign that something is wrong and shouldn't simply be written off as pickiness.

How Much Should I Feed a Raw-Fed Cat?

This is where things get particularly difficult because raw food isn't one standardized food.

A homemade raw recipe can have a different calorie density from another homemade recipe. One premade raw product can be very different from another.

You may also see recommendations based on a percentage of body weight. Those percentages can be useful as a starting point, particularly when you're first learning to feed raw, but they aren't a universal formula for every cat.

A growing kitten, an active adult, an elderly cat, and a pregnant or nursing queen can have very different nutritional needs even if they weigh the same. So if you're feeding raw, I would use the manufacturer's recommendations or your properly formulated recipe's nutritional information as a starting point, then watch the cat in front of you.

And Remember: Homemade Raw Needs to Be Complete

If you're making your own raw food, how much you feed isn't the only question.

You could feed exactly the right number of calories while still providing an incomplete diet.

Raw meat by itself is not a complete feline diet.

A properly formulated homemade raw diet needs to provide the nutrients cats require in the appropriate amounts and proportions. This is especially important for kittens, whose diet needs to support growth and development.

If you're interested in making your own food, start by learning about the nutritional components of a complete raw diet rather than simply calculating how many ounces of meat your kitten needs. Consider starting with some of our other resources such as What Homemade Raw Actually Takes, Homemade vs Premade Raw, or Recommended Raw Cat Foods, Recipes & Feeding Resources

How Much Should I Feed an Adult Cat?

For an adult cat, I would generally start with the feeding recommendation for the food you're using and then adjust from there.

An indoor cat who spends most of the day sleeping may need considerably less food than a highly active cat.

Likewise, a cat who has been spayed or neutered may have different energy needs from an intact breeding cat.

This is why two cats of the same weight don't necessarily need the same amount of food.

As your cat ages or their lifestyle changes, their food requirements can change, too.

Recheck portions periodically rather than assuming the amount you've always fed is still appropriate.

What About Treats?

Treats count, too.

If you're giving treats throughout the day, remember that they're contributing calories to the overall diet. I'm not opposed to treats, but I do think it's easy to lose track of how much a cat is getting when treats become an afterthought.

This is particularly important for cats who are prone to gaining weight.

What I Recommend for My Kittens

My kittens are raised on an all-raw diet and fed twice a day.

When they're growing, I pay attention to their individual appetite, growth, and body condition rather than trying to make every kitten eat exactly the same amount.

I don't want a healthy growing kitten being unnecessarily restricted because someone decided that a particular number on a feeding chart must be followed exactly. But I also don't believe in blindly filling a bowl indefinitely if you're feeding dry food.

Watch the kitten.

Their body, growth, appetite, and development will tell you much more than a generic internet feeding calculator ever will.

When Should You Reconsider the Amount?

There are several situations where it makes sense to reassess what you're feeding:

• Your kitten is growing rapidly and consistently seems hungry.

• Your cat is gaining excess body fat.

• Your cat is losing weight unexpectedly.

• Your cat's activity level has changed significantly.

• You've changed foods.

• You've changed from one type of food to another.

• Your cat has become pregnant or is nursing.

• Your senior cat's needs have changed.

• Your cat's appetite has changed noticeably.

If you change foods, remember that you may need to change the amount even if the portion looks the same.

A certain number of grams of one food does not necessarily provide the same calories as that same number of grams of another food.

Don't Forget That Cats Change

One of the biggest mistakes I see people make is finding a feeding amount that works and assuming that number will always work.

Your cat won't have the same nutritional needs at 4 months, 10 months, 3 years, and 12 years old. Their activity may change. Their metabolism may change. Their body composition may change. Their food may change.

Feeding isn't a set-it-and-forget-it decision.

You don't need to obsess over every gram your cat eats, but you should pay enough attention to notice when something changes.

Final Thoughts

If you're trying to figure out where to start:

1. Start with the feeding recommendations for the food you're using.

2. Know the calorie density of that food when possible.

3. For kittens, prioritize growth and adequate nutrition rather than aggressively restricting portions.

4. Watch your cat's body condition, not just their weight.

5. Pay attention to appetite and stool.

6. Adjust portions when your cat's needs change.

7. If you're feeding homemade raw, make sure the diet is complete and balanced- not simply the correct number of calories.

And if you're ever unsure whether your cat is too thin, too heavy, growing appropriately, or getting the nutrition they need, that's a good question to bring to qualified feline nutrition professional.

There isn't one perfect number for every cat.

The goal is to feed enough to support healthy growth and maintenance while paying attention to the individual animal in front of you.

Disclaimer: This information is for educational purposes only and is not veterinary or nutritional advice; you are responsible for decisions regarding your cat's diet and care.