When is a cat a senior?

International Cat Care's stages: mature 7-10, senior 11-14, super senior from 15. In human terms a 12-year-old cat is 64 and a 15-year-old 76. Feeding does not change at 7; the checks do. Weigh monthly and write the number down.

Do senior cats need fewer calories?

Not as a rule. Cats of 7-11 are often less active and gain on the same food, so the indoor line fits. Past 11 or so many cats absorb fat and protein less efficiently and need more food, not less, to hold their weight: that is the lean column, 253 kcal for a 4 kg cat against 226 on the indoor line.

How much should a 15-year-old cat eat?

By weight and condition, not age. A 4 kg cat holding its weight stays on 226 kcal; if it is losing weight on that, move to the lean line (253) and see the vet, because weight loss in an old cat is more often kidneys, thyroid or teeth than appetite. A 5 kg cat that should be 4 kg is fed the weight-loss line for 4 kg, 198 kcal.

Wet or dry food for an old cat?

Either delivers the calories; wet food adds water, which helps the kidneys, and is easier on sore teeth. A 4 kg cat on pouches alone eats 2.5 pouches of 90 kcal a day; half and half is 1.3 pouches plus 28 g of kibble.

How often should a senior cat eat?

Three or four small meals: a small stomach, less appetite at a sitting, and some medicines need food. At 4 kg on a 4,000 kcal/kg kibble that is 19 g a meal three times a day; the last table gives it by weight.

How much to feed a senior cat? Calories, grams and pouches

A 4 kg (8.8 lb) indoor cat of 8, 10 or 12 needs about 226 kcal a day, 57 g of a 4,000 kcal/kg kibble or 2.5 pouches of 90 kcal: the same indoor line as a younger neutered cat. What changes after about 11 is the direction to watch: many old cats digest fat and protein less well and lose weight on the same food, so the lean line and the scales matter more than the calendar. The tables give calories, grams, pouches and portions per meal by weight.

Open the cat food calculator

Life stages, and what to watch

International Cat Care counts a cat as mature from 7, senior from 11 and super senior from 15; the cat years table puts those in human terms. The calorie equations do not have an age term, so the plan is the indoor line until the scales say otherwise: weight going up means the indoor line was too generous or the treats were, weight going down on the same food is a vet visit first and the lean line second.

Calories a day for senior cats

The indoor column is the NRC 2006 line for neutered cats that live inside, the right start for most seniors. The lean column is the higher NRC line, for a thin old cat that is losing weight on the first one. The last column is the weight-loss line, the resting requirement of the ideal weight (AAHA 2021), for a senior that got heavy: read it at the weight the cat should be.

Daily calories for older cats by weight
Cat weight	Indoor (default)	Lean (losing weight)	Weight loss (at ideal weight)
3 kg (6.6 lb)	202	209	160
3.5 kg (7.7 lb)	215	231	179
4 kg (8.8 lb)	226	253	198
4.5 kg (9.9 lb)	237	274	216
5 kg (11 lb)	247	294	234
6 kg (13.2 lb)	266	332	268

Grams of dry food a day

On the indoor line, for three common densities of adult and senior kibble. Read the kcal per kg on the bag and pick the nearest column; the dry food guide has the same table for younger cats and more densities.

Grams per day by the food's kcal per kg (indoor line)
Cat weight	3,800 kcal/kg	4,000 kcal/kg	4,200 kcal/kg
3 kg (6.6 lb)	53	50	48
3.5 kg (7.7 lb)	56	54	51
4 kg (8.8 lb)	60	57	54
4.5 kg (9.9 lb)	62	59	56
5 kg (11 lb)	65	62	59
6 kg (13.2 lb)	70	67	63

Pouches a day: wet only, or half and half

For 85 g pouches of 90 kcal; the mixed column pairs the pouches with grams of a 4,000 kcal/kg kibble. Wet food is often the better choice for an old cat: more water, softer, and easier to warm slightly when appetite is poor.

Pouches per day (90 kcal) for an older cat on the indoor line
Cat weight	Wet only	Half wet + kibble
3 kg (6.6 lb)	2.2	1.1 + 25 g
3.5 kg (7.7 lb)	2.4	1.2 + 27 g
4 kg (8.8 lb)	2.5	1.3 + 28 g
4.5 kg (9.9 lb)	2.6	1.3 + 30 g
5 kg (11 lb)	2.7	1.4 + 31 g
6 kg (13.2 lb)	3	1.5 + 33 g

Per meal, three meals a day

Portion per meal at three meals a day (4,000 kcal/kg kibble, or 90 kcal pouches)
Cat weight	Grams of kibble per meal	Pouches per meal
3 kg (6.6 lb)	17	0.7
3.5 kg (7.7 lb)	18	0.8
4 kg (8.8 lb)	19	0.8
4.5 kg (9.9 lb)	20	0.9
5 kg (11 lb)	21	0.9
6 kg (13.2 lb)	22	1

Weigh monthly

A kitchen scale and a monthly weight tell you more than any table. Old cats hide illness behind appetite, and a 200 g loss on a 4 kg cat is 5% of its body, the point at which a vet wants to know. The cat food calculator gives the grams and pouches for your own food on any of the three lines, and how many calories does a cat need per day has the full adult table.

Frequently asked questions

When is a cat a senior?: International Cat Care's stages: mature 7-10, senior 11-14, super senior from 15. In human terms a 12-year-old cat is 64 and a 15-year-old 76. Feeding does not change at 7; the checks do. Weigh monthly and write the number down.
Do senior cats need fewer calories?: Not as a rule. Cats of 7-11 are often less active and gain on the same food, so the indoor line fits. Past 11 or so many cats absorb fat and protein less efficiently and need more food, not less, to hold their weight: that is the lean column, 253 kcal for a 4 kg cat against 226 on the indoor line.
How much should a 15-year-old cat eat?: By weight and condition, not age. A 4 kg cat holding its weight stays on 226 kcal; if it is losing weight on that, move to the lean line (253) and see the vet, because weight loss in an old cat is more often kidneys, thyroid or teeth than appetite. A 5 kg cat that should be 4 kg is fed the weight-loss line for 4 kg, 198 kcal.
Wet or dry food for an old cat?: Either delivers the calories; wet food adds water, which helps the kidneys, and is easier on sore teeth. A 4 kg cat on pouches alone eats 2.5 pouches of 90 kcal a day; half and half is 1.3 pouches plus 28 g of kibble.
How often should a senior cat eat?: Three or four small meals: a small stomach, less appetite at a sitting, and some medicines need food. At 4 kg on a 4,000 kcal/kg kibble that is 19 g a meal three times a day; the last table gives it by weight.

How much wet food to feed a cat per day?
Pouches and cans a day for cats from 3 to 6 kg, wet only or half wet, half dry, for pouches labelled 70 to 110 kcal, plus the grams of kibble to add.
How many calories does a kitten need? How much to feed a kitten by age and weight
A 12-week, 1.2 kg kitten needs about 214 kcal a day (178 kcal per kg, NRC 2006). Calories by age in weeks and months, per kg and per lb, pouches and cups.
How many calories does a cat need per day?
Calories a day for cats from 2 to 8 kg: resting requirement, indoor and neutered, lean and active, the WSAVA chart range and the weight-loss target.
How much dry food to feed a cat per day? Grams by weight
Grams and cups of dry food a day for 3 to 6 kg cats, and how many grams in a cup of dry cat food: 92 to 113 g on five US labels. Per meal and per bag.

Sources

NRC 2006, Nutrient Requirements of Dogs and Cats — adult, puppy and kitten energy equations
WSAVA, Calorie Needs for Healthy Adult Dogs (July 2020) — chart range for dogs
WSAVA, Calorie Needs for Healthy Adult Cats (July 2020) — chart range for cats
AAHA 2021 Nutrition and Weight Management Guidelines — weight loss at the resting requirement of the target weight

Published 2026-09-17, last updated 2026-09-17. Figures are starting points from the published equations: individual animals vary by up to 30%, so adjust by body condition and ask your vet for puppies under 8 weeks, pregnancy, lactation or any illness.