Cat Portion Tables From 6 to 20 Pounds

How Much to Feed a Cat at Each Weight

A lean neutered adult cat needs about 180 kcal at 6 lb, 220 kcal at 8 lb, 260 kcal at 10 lb, 300 kcal at 12 lb, 335 kcal at 14 lb, 370 kcal at 16 lb and 440 kcal at 20 lb per day. Every figure comes from the same formula: RER = 70 x kg^0.75, multiplied by the feline neutered-adult factor of 1.2. Cats share the RER formula with dogs; the multiplier is what makes it feline. The right amount for cats always starts from these kcal targets, and the wet, dry and mixed feeding chart presents the same data with combination columns.

Cat calorie needs scale with metabolic body weight — weight in kilograms raised to the 0.75 power — not with weight itself, which is why the 20 lb row is nowhere near double the 10 lb row.

Small Cats (6-8 lb): Portions for Petite Frames

Petite adults at 6 to 8 lb — small females and light Oriental or Siamese-type frames — need only 180 to 220 kcal per day. Two 3-oz cans or about half a cup of dry food covers the entire budget, which surprises owners used to dog-scale portions.

Small cats are the easiest to overfeed because treats hit their budget hardest. One 30-kcal treat is 15 percent of a 6 lb cat's entire day, so the 10-percent treat rule applies with real force here: an 18 kcal ceiling for the 6 lb cat, which is five or six small treats, not a handful.

Average Cats (9-12 lb): The Most Common Portion Band

Most US cats sit in the 9 to 12 lb band, which spans 250 to 300 kcal per day — about 2.5 to 3 three-oz cans, or one-half to three-quarters of a cup of a 400 kcal-per-cup dry food. If you memorize one number from this page, make it 260 kcal for the 10 lb neutered adult.

Twelve pounds is the ambiguous weight: it is lean for a large frame and overweight for a small one, so whether 12 pounds is too heavy for a cat depends on frame size, not the scale alone. Check body condition — ribs easy to feel, waist visible from above — before assuming the 12 lb row applies. Your cat's energy requirement explains the math behind each band when you need to interpolate between rows.

Large-Frame Cats (13-20 lb): Big Cat or Overweight Cat?

Genuinely large frames exist: a lean Maine Coon or Ragdoll legitimately weighs 15 to 20 lb and needs 340 to 440 kcal per day. Large-frame breeds are a different population from overweight average-frame cats, and feeding a Maine Coon by an average-cat row underfeeds it.

Most 16-plus-lb domestic shorthairs, however, are overweight rather than big-boned. The test is physical, not numeric: ribs should be easy to feel under a slight fat cover, and a waist should show from above (BCS 4-5 of 9). Ribs buried under padding at 16 lb mean the cat's true row is lower, and the guide to whether your cat is overweight gives ideal ranges by frame size.

Feeding an overweight cat to its scale weight locks in the obesity — always feed to ideal weight instead.

Using Ideal Weight, Not Current Weight

Portions for overweight cats are calculated from ideal weight, not current weight. A 16 lb cat with a 11 lb ideal frame gets the 11 lb calculation (about 280 kcal), reached gradually — abrupt cuts risk hepatic lipidosis, the feline liver crisis triggered by rapid intake drops, so step the portion down over several weeks.

Whatever the weight row says, protein stays high. Cats are obligate carnivores, and weight control on a food below AAFCO's 26 percent dry-matter protein minimum costs muscle instead of fat. Cut calories, never protein density.

Get portions for your cat's exact weight with the kcal-to-cans converter — it picks the right factor for neuter status, activity and weight goal, then converts the target to your food automatically.