Pet Food Calculator
Find out how much to feed your dog or cat each day, in calories and cups, based on their weight, age, and activity level.
Last updated
How it works
Feeding amount starts from a pet's resting energy requirement (RER), the calories they'd burn just staying alive with zero activity, calculated as 70 times their weight in kilograms raised to the power of 0.75. That RER is then multiplied by a factor that accounts for life stage, activity level, and weight goal: growing puppies and kittens need roughly 2 to 3 times their RER to fuel development, a typical adult needs around 1.6 times RER, and seniors often need somewhat less. Low activity pulls that factor down, high activity pushes it up, and a weight-loss or weight-gain goal shifts it further in either direction.
Once daily calories are set, the calculator converts them into cups (for dry kibble) or cans (for wet food) using an average calorie density, since dry dog food runs around 375 kcal per cup and dry cat food runs a bit lower at around 320 kcal per cup. For example, a 30 lb adult dog at moderate activity on a maintain-weight goal works out to about 496 kcal of resting energy, multiplied by a 1.6 factor for roughly 794 kcal a day, which is about 2.1 cups of dry kibble split across two meals of just over 1 cup each, or about 14.8 cups a week.
Calorie density varies meaningfully by brand and recipe, sometimes by 50 kcal per cup or more, so always check your specific food's label and adjust the amount shown here accordingly. This tool is a starting estimate, not a substitute for guidance from your veterinarian, especially for puppies, seniors, and pets with medical conditions or specific dietary needs.
Frequently asked questions
Is my dog overweight?
This calculator can't diagnose that on its own, but a useful home check is running your hands along your dog's ribs: you should be able to feel them easily under a thin layer of fat, without pressing hard, and your dog should have a visible waist when viewed from above. If you can't feel the ribs at all, or there's no waist, that's a sign to talk to your vet about a weight-loss feeding plan rather than guessing.
How often should I feed my puppy?
Most puppies do best on 3 to 4 smaller meals a day rather than 1 to 2 large ones, since their stomachs are small and they're burning through calories quickly to support growth. This calculator defaults puppies and kittens to 3 meals a day for that reason, tapering toward 2 meals a day as they approach their first birthday.
Do cats need less food than dogs their size?
Pound for pound, cats and dogs have similar resting energy needs, but the honest answer is most cats are simply smaller than most dogs, so their total daily calories end up lower in absolute terms. Indoor cats with limited activity also tend to need less than the "moderate activity" default, which is why the activity level input matters as much as pet type here.
Should I free-feed or measure meals?
Measuring meals almost always works better for keeping a pet at a healthy weight, since free-feeding (leaving food out all day) makes it easy to lose track of how much your pet is actually eating, especially in multi-pet households. If your pet is on a weight-loss or weight-gain plan specifically, measured meals are effectively required to know the plan is being followed.
Why does the amount change so much between low, moderate, and high activity?
Activity level is one of the biggest swings in a pet's daily energy needs, on top of their resting energy requirement (the calories burned just staying alive). A low-activity, mostly-indoor pet can need meaningfully fewer calories than a high-activity, frequently-exercised one at the exact same weight, which is why vets treat activity level as its own input rather than folding it into weight alone.
How accurate is the cups-per-day estimate?
It's a starting point, not a precise measurement. This calculator uses an average calorie density for dry kibble and canned wet food, but actual density varies by brand and recipe, sometimes by a lot. Always check your specific food's bag or can label for its exact calories per cup or per can, and adjust from there.
What if I feed both wet and dry food?
Select "Mixed" as the food type and the calculator splits the daily calorie target evenly between a dry-kibble amount and a wet-food amount, as a simple 50/50 starting point. You can shift the actual ratio however you like, as long as the combined calories stay close to the daily target shown.
Does this account for treats?
No, the daily amount shown is for meals only. As a general rule, treats (including training treats and table scraps) should make up no more than about 10% of a pet's total daily calories, so if you're giving a lot of treats, consider trimming the meal portions slightly to compensate.
Get an accurate weight before you calculate: the MINDPET-MED Digital Pet Scale handles puppies, kittens, and small pets with precision to 0.02 lbs, so the weight you enter above is a real number, not a guess.
View on AmazonOnce you've got a target amount, eyeballing a cup is where portioning goes wrong. The Etekcity Digital Kitchen Food Scale makes it easy to weigh out an exact portion instead, which matters even more on a weight-loss or weight-gain plan.
View on AmazonAs an Amazon Associate, QuickAges earns from qualifying purchases.