How many grams of wet food should a 4 kg cat eat a day?

About 226 g on a 100 kcal/100 g food, 266 g at 85 kcal/100 g and 189 g at 120, for an indoor, neutered cat (226 kcal a day). A lean, active 4 kg cat gets 253 g of the 100 kcal/100 g food. Read the kcal per 100 g on your pack and pick the column.

Is 200 g of wet food a day enough for a cat?

At 100 kcal per 100 g, 200 g is 200 kcal: about right for an indoor 3 kg cat (202 kcal), 26 kcal short for a 4 kg cat (226) and 47 kcal short for a 5 kg cat (247). On a 70 kcal/100 g gravy pouch, 200 g is only 140 kcal, so the same 200 g can be a full ration or two thirds of one depending on the pack.

How many grams of wet food per meal?

The daily grams divided by the meals: for the 4 kg indoor cat on a 100 kcal/100 g food, 113 g twice a day or 75 g three times a day. Split it into three or four meals if the cat asks for food between them; an automatic feeder or a timed second helping keeps the total the same.

How do I find the kcal per 100 g?

Many UK and EU packs print kcal per 100 g; US cans and pouches, and some UK ones, print kcal per can or per pouch: divide by the pack weight and multiply by 100. An 85 g pouch labelled 90 kcal is 106 kcal/100 g, so the 4 kg cat needs 214 g of it a day, 2.5 pouches.

Can I feed wet food only?

Yes: the calories are the same whatever they come in, and wet food adds water, which suits cats that drink little. The cost is the difference: per 1,000 kcal, pouches cost several times what kibble does, worked out in the guide to the cost of feeding a cat per month. Half wet, half dry (the third table) is the usual compromise: 113 g of wet food plus 30 g of kibble for the 4 kg cat.

Is one pouch of wet food a day enough for a cat?

Not on its own for an adult: an 85 g pouch labelled 90 kcal is 40% of the 226 kcal an indoor 4 kg cat needs. Two pouches (180 kcal) leave 46 kcal, about 12 g of a 3,800 kcal/kg kibble; wet only, it is 2.5 pouches a day. By weight, 100 g of a 100 kcal/100 g food is 44% of the day for a 4 kg cat and 50% for a 3 kg cat (202 kcal); on a 70 kcal/100 g gravy pouch, 100 g is only 70 kcal.

How many grams of wet food should a kitten eat?

Kittens are fed per kilogram of body weight by age (NRC 2006). On a 100 kcal/100 g food the grams equal the calories: an 8-week, 0.8 kg kitten needs about 174 kcal, so 174 g a day; a 12-week, 1.2 kg kitten 214 g (251 g at 85 kcal/100 g, 2.4 pouches of 90 kcal); a 24-week, 2.5 kg kitten 270 g. Split it into several small meals and weigh the kitten weekly; the kitten guide has every age.

How many ounces of wet food should a cat eat a day?

The 4 kg (8.8 lb) indoor cat's 226 g of a 100 kcal/100 g food is 8.0 oz a day. US cans print kcal per can, so divide the day's 226 kcal by it: 2.3 cans of a 3 oz can labelled 100 kcal, or 1.2 cans of a 5.5 oz can of the same food (183 kcal).

Is there a grams-per-kilo rule for wet food?

Only as a check, and it falls with weight: on a 100 kcal/100 g food an indoor cat needs about 67 g per kg at 3 kg, 57 g per kg at 4 kg, 49 g per kg at 5 kg, 44 g per kg at 6 kg (NRC 2006 indoor line). A flat rule taken from a small cat overfeeds a large one by about half. Read the kcal per 100 g on the pack and use the first table.

How much wet food to feed a cat in grams? Chart by weight

An indoor, neutered 4 kg (8.8 lb) cat needs about 226 kcal a day, which is 226 g of a wet food labelled 100 kcal per 100 g, 323 g of a 70 kcal/100 g pouch in gravy or 189 g of a 120 kcal/100 g pate. The grams depend on the kcal per 100 g printed on the pack, so the tables give grams a day for four label values by cat weight, the grams per meal, and the split when half the calories come from kibble.

Open the cat food calculator

Grams of wet food a day: indoor or neutered cats

Calories from the NRC 2006 line for indoor, neutered cats (the one the WSAVA chart uses for cats that gain weight easily), divided by the kcal per 100 g on the pack. The four columns span the label values on pouches and tins: gravy and jelly pouches sit at the low end, pate and loaf at the high end, so read your pack and take the nearest column. If it says kcal per pouch or per can, convert it with the last table.

Grams of wet food a day by cat weight and kcal per 100 g (indoor, neutered cat)
Cat weight	Calories a day	70 kcal/100 g	85 kcal/100 g	100 kcal/100 g	120 kcal/100 g
3 kg (6.6 lb)	202	288	237	202	168
3.5 kg (7.7 lb)	215	307	252	215	179
4 kg (8.8 lb)	226	323	266	226	189
4.5 kg (9.9 lb)	237	339	279	237	198
5 kg (11 lb)	247	354	291	247	206
5.5 kg (12.1 lb)	257	367	302	257	214
6 kg (13.2 lb)	266	380	313	266	222

Grams per meal

The daily amount on a 100 kcal/100 g food, split into two, three or four meals. Weigh the first few portions on kitchen scales: a spoon heaped 20% over the weight gives the 4 kg cat 45 kcal a day it does not need.

Grams of a 100 kcal/100 g wet food per meal (indoor, neutered cat)
Cat weight	Grams a day	2 meals	3 meals	4 meals
3 kg (6.6 lb)	202	101	67	50
3.5 kg (7.7 lb)	215	107	72	54
4 kg (8.8 lb)	226	113	75	57
4.5 kg (9.9 lb)	237	119	79	59
5 kg (11 lb)	247	124	82	62
5.5 kg (12.1 lb)	257	129	86	64
6 kg (13.2 lb)	266	133	89	67

Grams of wet food per kilogram of cat

There is no single grams-per-kilo figure: an indoor cat needs about 67 g of a 100 kcal/100 g food per kilogram of body weight at 3 kg, but only 44 g per kilogram at 6 kg, because its calories rise with kg^0.4, not in step with its weight. Feeding a 6 kg cat at the 3 kg cat's rate would serve 403 g, 52% more than its 266 kcal. Use the per-kg figure only to check a portion; the first table is the one to feed from.

Grams of wet food a day per kilogram of cat, by kcal per 100 g (indoor, neutered cat)
Cat weight	Calories a day	g per kg at 70 kcal/100 g	g per kg at 100 kcal/100 g	g per kg at 120 kcal/100 g
3 kg (6.6 lb)	202	96	67	56
4 kg (8.8 lb)	226	81	57	47
5 kg (11 lb)	247	71	49	41
6 kg (13.2 lb)	266	63	44	37

Wet food plus kibble: grams of each

Half the calories from a 100 kcal/100 g wet food and half from a 3,800 kcal/kg kibble, then three quarters wet. The kibble grams look small because dry food is about 3.8 times denser in calories than the wet food. The cat food calculator does this split for any share and any two packs.

Grams of wet food and kibble a day for mixed feeding (indoor, neutered cat, 100 kcal/100 g wet, 3,800 kcal/kg dry)
Cat weight	Half wet (g)	Half wet: kibble (g)	3/4 wet (g)	3/4 wet: kibble (g)
3 kg (6.6 lb)	101	27	151	13
3.5 kg (7.7 lb)	107	28	161	14
4 kg (8.8 lb)	113	30	170	15
4.5 kg (9.9 lb)	119	31	178	16
5 kg (11 lb)	124	33	186	16
5.5 kg (12.1 lb)	129	34	193	17
6 kg (13.2 lb)	133	35	200	18

Lean, active cats

An entire cat, or a neutered one that hunts and roams, sits on the lean line (NRC 2006, 100 x kg^0.67), which gives more calories above about 2.6 kg. Start an indoor cat on the first table and move to this one only if it is losing weight it should not lose.

Grams of wet food a day by cat weight and kcal per 100 g (lean, active cat)
Cat weight	Calories a day	70 kcal/100 g	85 kcal/100 g	100 kcal/100 g	120 kcal/100 g
3 kg (6.6 lb)	209	298	246	209	174
3.5 kg (7.7 lb)	231	331	272	231	193
4 kg (8.8 lb)	253	362	298	253	211
4.5 kg (9.9 lb)	274	391	322	274	228
5 kg (11 lb)	294	420	346	294	245
5.5 kg (12.1 lb)	313	448	369	313	261
6 kg (13.2 lb)	332	475	391	332	277

From the pouch label to kcal per 100 g

Most pouches are 85 g and are labelled by kcal per pouch, so divide by 85 and multiply by 100 to use the tables above. The guide to how much wet food to feed a cat gives the same feeding in pouches rather than grams, and the cost of feeding a cat per month puts a price on it. Kittens are fed per kilogram by age: a 12-week, 1.2 kg kitten needs about 214 kcal a day (NRC 2006), 214 g of a 100 kcal/100 g food or 2.4 pouches of 90 kcal; how many calories a kitten needs has every age in weeks and months. To scoop the kibble share by the cup, see how much dry food to feed a cat.

Pouch label to kcal per 100 g, with the grams and pouches a day for a 4 kg indoor cat
Pouch	kcal per 100 g	Grams a day (4 kg cat)	Pouches a day
85 g pouch labelled 70 kcal	82	275	3.2
85 g pouch labelled 90 kcal	106	214	2.5
85 g pouch labelled 110 kcal	129	175	2.1

Frequently asked questions

How many grams of wet food should a 4 kg cat eat a day?: About 226 g on a 100 kcal/100 g food, 266 g at 85 kcal/100 g and 189 g at 120, for an indoor, neutered cat (226 kcal a day). A lean, active 4 kg cat gets 253 g of the 100 kcal/100 g food. Read the kcal per 100 g on your pack and pick the column.
Is 200 g of wet food a day enough for a cat?: At 100 kcal per 100 g, 200 g is 200 kcal: about right for an indoor 3 kg cat (202 kcal), 26 kcal short for a 4 kg cat (226) and 47 kcal short for a 5 kg cat (247). On a 70 kcal/100 g gravy pouch, 200 g is only 140 kcal, so the same 200 g can be a full ration or two thirds of one depending on the pack.
How many grams of wet food per meal?: The daily grams divided by the meals: for the 4 kg indoor cat on a 100 kcal/100 g food, 113 g twice a day or 75 g three times a day. Split it into three or four meals if the cat asks for food between them; an automatic feeder or a timed second helping keeps the total the same.
How do I find the kcal per 100 g?: Many UK and EU packs print kcal per 100 g; US cans and pouches, and some UK ones, print kcal per can or per pouch: divide by the pack weight and multiply by 100. An 85 g pouch labelled 90 kcal is 106 kcal/100 g, so the 4 kg cat needs 214 g of it a day, 2.5 pouches.
Can I feed wet food only?: Yes: the calories are the same whatever they come in, and wet food adds water, which suits cats that drink little. The cost is the difference: per 1,000 kcal, pouches cost several times what kibble does, worked out in the guide to the cost of feeding a cat per month. Half wet, half dry (the third table) is the usual compromise: 113 g of wet food plus 30 g of kibble for the 4 kg cat.
Is one pouch of wet food a day enough for a cat?: Not on its own for an adult: an 85 g pouch labelled 90 kcal is 40% of the 226 kcal an indoor 4 kg cat needs. Two pouches (180 kcal) leave 46 kcal, about 12 g of a 3,800 kcal/kg kibble; wet only, it is 2.5 pouches a day. By weight, 100 g of a 100 kcal/100 g food is 44% of the day for a 4 kg cat and 50% for a 3 kg cat (202 kcal); on a 70 kcal/100 g gravy pouch, 100 g is only 70 kcal.
How many grams of wet food should a kitten eat?: Kittens are fed per kilogram of body weight by age (NRC 2006). On a 100 kcal/100 g food the grams equal the calories: an 8-week, 0.8 kg kitten needs about 174 kcal, so 174 g a day; a 12-week, 1.2 kg kitten 214 g (251 g at 85 kcal/100 g, 2.4 pouches of 90 kcal); a 24-week, 2.5 kg kitten 270 g. Split it into several small meals and weigh the kitten weekly; the kitten guide has every age.
How many ounces of wet food should a cat eat a day?: The 4 kg (8.8 lb) indoor cat's 226 g of a 100 kcal/100 g food is 8.0 oz a day. US cans print kcal per can, so divide the day's 226 kcal by it: 2.3 cans of a 3 oz can labelled 100 kcal, or 1.2 cans of a 5.5 oz can of the same food (183 kcal).
Is there a grams-per-kilo rule for wet food?: Only as a check, and it falls with weight: on a 100 kcal/100 g food an indoor cat needs about 67 g per kg at 3 kg, 57 g per kg at 4 kg, 49 g per kg at 5 kg, 44 g per kg at 6 kg (NRC 2006 indoor line). A flat rule taken from a small cat overfeeds a large one by about half. Read the kcal per 100 g on the pack and use the first table.

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 2026-09-22, last updated 2026-10-03. 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.