How many cups of dry food is that?

A 4 kg cat's 63 g is about half a cup at 120 g per cup. Because a cup of dry cat food weighs between roughly 110 and 140 g depending on the kibble, the same half cup can be 55 g or 70 g, so weighing is more reliable.

Cat food portion calculator

Q: Should I feed my cat once or twice a day?

Two or more measured meals suits most adult cats. Splitting the daily amount makes it easier to notice a drop in appetite, which is one of the earliest signs of illness in a cat. Kittens under four months need three or more meals.

By Josh · Reviewed and updated: 2026-09-17

A typical 4 kg (8.8 lb) neutered indoor cat needs about 63 grams of dry food a day — roughly half a cup — but that figure moves a long way with body weight, life stage and how much the cat actually moves. This page works your cat's number out in grams, which is the unit you can act on, and gives you the whole table so you can sanity-check the answer.

Your cat's daily amount

Body weight

Use your cat's current weight. A bathroom scale will not do it accurately — weigh yourself holding the cat and subtract, or ask your vet to weigh it at the next visit.

Life stage

Spayed or neutered

Yes No

This matters more for cats than for dogs. Neutering lowers energy needs, and it is the single most common reason a cat gains weight. The calculator applies a lower factor to a neutered cat than to an intact one at the same weight and activity level — as it does for dogs.

Activity level

Calorie content of your food

Printed on the bag under “Calorie Content”, usually as both kcal/kg and kcal/cup. If your bag only gives kcal/cup, switch the unit above. The default of 3,800 kcal/kg is 380 kcal per 100 g, a common adult cat food.

Grams per cup (optional) Dry cat kibble is denser than dog kibble — commonly 120 to 130 g per cup. Only used for the cup figures below; the gram figure is unaffected.

The reference table, by body weight

These are the amounts for the most common case: a neutered adult indoor cat on a typical-activity footing, eating a dry food of 380 kcal per 100 g (3,800 kcal/kg). If your cat is intact, very active, a kitten or a senior, use the calculator above rather than reading across.

Body weight	RER (kcal)	Calorie target (kcal)	Dry food per day	Cups per day
2 kg	118	141	37 g	0.31
3 kg	160	191	50 g	0.42
4 kg	198	238	63 g	0.52
5 kg	234	281	74 g	0.62
6 kg	268	322	85 g	0.71
7 kg	301	361	95 g	0.79
8 kg	333	400	105 g	0.88

Cups calculated at 120 g per cup, a common density for dry cat food. Every figure in this table is produced by the same engine the calculator uses — not typed in by hand.

The gram column moves with the two assumptions above, so here is how much. Change only the food's energy density and the 4 kg row goes from 63 g at 380 kcal per 100 g to 68 g at 350 or 59 g at 400 — about ±7% for a range that is entirely normal for adult cat food. Change the grams per cup instead and only the cup column moves, not the grams. So: use this table to see the shape of the answer, and put your own bag's numbers into the calculator above before you measure anything out.

Read the table for shape, not for precision. The amount rises with weight but more slowly than weight does: doubling a cat's weight from 4 kg to 8 kg raises its food by about two thirds, not by double. That is because energy requirement scales with weight to the power of 0.75 rather than in a straight line — the same relationship used across mammals. A small cat already eats more per kilogram than a large one, and that is normal.

Why grams and not cups

A cup is a volume. Dry cat kibble commonly runs 120 to 130 grams per cup, and dog kibble from about 90 to 130 grams — so a scoop that looks identical can hold anywhere from 45 to 70 grams of food depending on what is in it.

For a cat the absolute amounts are small, so the same scooping error is a much larger share of the day. A 5 gram daily error is about 8% of a 4 kg cat's 63 gram meal. Buy a kitchen scale that reads to 1 gram and use it once — the measuring page covers the alternatives if you would rather not, but for a cat a scale is the right tool.

Cats are not small dogs

If you have a dog as well, do not apply the dog's number to the cat. A 4 kg cat and a 4 kg dog are not equivalent: at matched weight, the cat's energy requirement is lower, and the factors applied on top run in different directions. It is covered properly on the cat versus dog calorie page.

The practical consequence is that the feeding chart on a bag written for dogs will overfeed a cat of the same weight, and vice versa. Use the species setting rather than picking whichever chart looks closer.

Kittens and seniors

Two life stages move in opposite directions, and both matter more for cats than the equivalent stages do for dogs.

Life stage	What changes
Kitten, under 4 months	About 2.5× resting energy, fed as three or more small meals. Kittens should be fed to appetite and weighed weekly, not rationed — a kitten that does not gain weight for two consecutive weeks needs a vet, not a smaller bowl.
Kitten, 4 to 12 months	About 2× resting energy, tapering towards the adult figure as growth slows. Most cats reach adult proportions around a year.
Senior, 11 years and over	Requirement falls — the calculator uses around 1.1× resting energy. But older cats lose muscle before they lose fat, so a stable weight can hide a worsening body condition. Score the body condition as well as weighing, and mention any weight change at routine visits.

If your cat needs to lose weight, this page is not enough

Weight loss in cats is a veterinary matter, not a portion adjustment. Never restrict a cat's food aggressively. Significant caloric restriction lasting 48–72 hours can cause hepatic lipidosis (fatty liver disease), which is frequently fatal, and overweight cats are at the highest risk. Contact your vet if a cat has eaten nothing for 24 hours; treat it as urgent at 48 hours, or at 24 hours with vomiting, lethargy or jaundice. Keep weight loss to 0.5–2% of body weight per week and start near the lower end of that range; have the plan supervised.

If your cat is more than 20% above its target weight — roughly body condition score 7 out of 9 — a home plan is not appropriate and the plan should be set by a veterinarian. The weight-loss plan page covers the six steps and the safe rate in more detail.

Common mistakes with cat portions

Free-feeding. Leaving a bowl down all day makes the daily amount unknowable, because you cannot see how much was eaten. Measured meals are the only way to know whether the number is right.
Counting only the dry food. A pouch or a can on top of the measured dry amount is a large fraction of a cat's day. Use the wet and dry conversion page to subtract it properly.
Treats outside the count. A cat's daily calorie target is around 240 kcal; a single dental chew can be 30 of them. The treat page works out the allowance.
Feeding the pre-neutering amount. Neutering drops energy needs by roughly 20%, and keeping the old portion is how most cats gain weight in the first place.
Sharing a bowl in a multi-cat house. With two cats on one bowl you cannot tell who ate what. Separate bowls, and separate rooms if one is faster.

Frequently asked questions

How much dry food should I feed my cat?

For a typical neutered adult indoor cat on a typical-activity footing, about 37 g a day at 2 kg, 63 g at 4 kg, 85 g at 6 kg and 105 g at 8 kg, assuming a dry food of 380 kcal per 100 g. Use the calculator above for your cat's own weight, life stage and activity level, then weigh the food rather than scooping it.

How many cups is that?

A 4 kg cat's 63 g is about half a cup at 120 g per cup. But cup weight varies from roughly 110 to 140 g depending on the kibble, so the same half cup can be 55 g or 70 g of food. Weighing is more reliable, and for a cat the relative error is large because the daily amount is small.

Should I feed my cat once or twice a day?

Two or more measured meals suits most adult cats. Cats evolved as small, frequent eaters, and splitting the daily amount also makes it easy to see if appetite drops — a change in appetite is one of the earliest signs of illness in a cat. Kittens under four months need three or more meals.

Can I just follow the chart on the bag?

Use it as a starting point, not an answer. Bag charts are written for a broad group and are usually rounded upward, and the same chart is sometimes printed for cats and small dogs. Calculating from your cat's weight and your food's actual calorie content gives a number you can check against body condition.

My cat always seems hungry. Am I feeding enough?

Hunger alone is not a reliable signal, and it is common when a cat is used to free-feeding. Check weight and body condition instead: if your cat is holding a steady weight and scores around 4 to 5 out of 9, the amount is right even if the cat disagrees. Splitting the same daily amount into more meals helps, as does a puzzle feeder. If your cat is losing weight while acting hungry, the amount is too low.

Medical disclaimer. This calculator provides estimated feeding amounts only. It is not veterinary medical advice. Always consult your local veterinarian for your cat's specific dietary needs, and before starting any weight-loss plan.

Calculate the daily amount for a dog or a cat →
Why cats and dogs need different amounts →
Convert between wet and dry food →
Check your cat's body condition →