---
title: "Pet Calorie Calculator: How Much to Feed | Good Pet Day"
description: "Daily calories for your dog or cat from vet formulas, then grams, cups or cans of your own food from the label, split into meals, with a treat allowance."
url: https://goodpetday.me/pet-calorie-calculator/
---

# How much should I feed my pet?

Work out your dog's or cat's daily calories from the formulas vets use, then turn them into grams, cups or cans of the food you actually buy.

## How the numbers are worked out

Everything starts from the **resting energy requirement** (RER), the calories a pet burns at rest: 70 × (weight in kg)0.75. Daily needs are a multiple of it. The Merck Veterinary Manual uses 1.6 × RER for a neutered adult dog, 1.8 for an intact one and 1.4 for one that gains weight easily; for cats 1.2, 1.4 and 1.0. Puppies get 3 × RER until 4 months and 2 × after that, kittens 2.5 ×. The World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) charts use formulas from the US National Research Council instead. The result is the range between the published figures that fit your pet, listed under the answer.

To turn calories into food, look on the bag or tin for the calorie content, usually given as kcal per kg and kcal per cup or can, and enter one of them. Weighing dry food in grams is more accurate than scooping. Keep treats under about a tenth of the day's calories, as WSAVA advises.

**Tip:** pet-food brands and pet shops often trade coupons and free samples for your email address. A free temporary inbox from [CleanTempMail](https://cleantempmail.com/) collects those offers without filling your real inbox, and the messages delete themselves after 3 days.

## Sources

- Merck Veterinary Manual, [Nutritional Requirements of Small Animals](https://www.merckvetmanual.com/management-and-nutrition/nutrition-small-animals/nutritional-requirements-of-small-animals) (RER formula) and [Daily Maintenance Energy Requirements for Dogs and Cats](https://www.merckvetmanual.com/multimedia/table/daily-maintenance-energy-requirements-for-dogs-and-cats) (the factors).
- WSAVA Global Nutrition Committee, [Calorie needs for healthy adult dogs](https://wsava.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Calorie-Needs-for-Healthy-Adult-Dogs-updated-July-2020.pdf) and [cats](https://wsava.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Calorie-Needs-for-Healthy-Adult-Cats-updated-July-2020.pdf) (July 2020), from the National Research Council's *Nutrient Requirements of Dogs and Cats* (2006): dogs 95 × kg0.75 (inactive) to 130 × kg0.75 (active); cats 100 × kg0.67 (lean) and 130 × kg0.4 (obesity-prone).
- WSAVA, [Feeding treats to your cat](https://wsava.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/WSAVA_GuidetoTreats_Cats_251107.pdf) (treats under 10% of daily calories); ASPCA, [General Dog Care](https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/dog-care/general-dog-care) (extras no more than 10% of daily food).

## Questions

**Why is the answer a range rather than one number?**

Because the published formulas differ, and so do pets. Two healthy dogs of the same weight can need noticeably different amounts. The range shows where the trusted estimates fall; your pet's weight and shape over the next few weeks tell you where in it they belong.

**Should I follow this or the feeding guide on the bag?**

Both are starting points. If they differ, start somewhere between them, weigh your pet every two to four weeks and adjust gradually. Your vet can tell you whether your pet is at a healthy weight.

**My pet needs to lose weight. Can I just feed less?**

Please ask your vet first. Safe weight loss needs a target weight and a steady plan, and cats in particular should never be put on a crash diet. This calculator is for maintaining a healthy weight, not for a diet.