Calorie Question

[Erin80]

I don’t really pay much attention to calories right now since my two are kittens...but lately I have been checking out the calorie count in the foods I feed. Most people say that the “average” adult cat eats about one 5.5 oz can of food a day (which boggles my mind because currently my two split THREE 5.5oz cans a day AND split a 3oz can before bed too)....and I’ve heard that most cats need about 200 calories a day...but none of the 5.5 oz cans I feed have 200 calories in them. The highest calorie one I have is a Performatrin Ultra turkey, salmon and duck recipe that has 224 calories. All the rest are around 150 and most all are pate. I know this is just an example and every cat is different...but I have a feeling my two will never eat only one 5.5oz can each!

 

[Kieka]

It does seem that way when they are kittens. But they will eat less as they get older.

It does also depend on their final healthy weight and activity level. My boy, who is 13.5 pounds, eats about 400-425 calories a day. While my girl, who is 7.5 pounds, eats about 250 calories a day. They are both highly active cats. I free feed dry food and do one wet meal a day. If you can afford wet only that is best of course.

Once your guys stop growing you'll be able to better figure out daily calories for your specific cats. One thing to think about is that many people whose cats are at 20 calories per pound are indoor only.

 

[kittyluv387]

I purposely look for 5.5oz cans that have 190-205 calories so I can just split it in half for my cats twixe a day and call it a day. Plus one is really tiny and has a good appetite but the other one is big but sleeps all day so 200 calories a day works for him. So it makes sense if your cats are eating more than one 5.5 oz can a day. My cat who eats raw gets over 250 calories a day because he's 12 pounds and active. It all depends!

 

[duckpond]

As the others have said, it can vary so much with cats. Mine range from tiny little girls to very large males. I don't count calories so much either, but keep a loose running total, estimate in my head, and mine seem to run from 180 ish to 350 ish. i feed a wide variety of wet, normally twice a day, and keep out Dr. Elseys chicken for dry. If anyone is acting hungry, mine are not normally beggars, except at meal time, then i will put out another can of wet.

i also watch to make sure everyone is eating their own wet food, and that no one is loosing or gaining.

 

[maggiedemi]

I don't go by calories, I go by ounces. If my cats were only eating canned food, they would eat about 8oz or 9oz.