How many pouches of wet food should a cat have a day?

For an indoor 4 kg cat on wet only: 3.2 pouches of 70 kcal, 2.5 of 90 kcal or 2.1 of 110 kcal. A 5 kg cat needs 2.7 pouches of 90 kcal. Check the kcal on your pouch; brands differ by half.

How many 3 oz cans a day?

A 3 oz (85 g) can labelled 100 kcal: 2.3 cans a day for an indoor 4 kg cat, 2.5 for 5 kg. A 5.5 oz can is about twice that, so roughly one a day for a 4 kg cat.

Can I feed wet and dry together?

Yes, and the calories add up the same way: half wet, half dry for a 4 kg indoor cat is 1.3 pouches of 90 kcal plus 30 g of a 3,800 kcal/kg kibble. Set any split in the cat food calculator.

Does an active cat need more wet food?

A lean, active 4 kg cat needs about 253 kcal (NRC lean equation) against 226 for an indoor one: 2.8 pouches of 90 kcal on wet only. The WSAVA chart gives 226-253 kcal for 4 kg.

How much wet food for a kitten?

Kittens are fed by age per kilogram (218 kcal/kg under 8 weeks down to 83 kcal/kg at 32-40 weeks, NRC 2006), so the adult tables do not apply; use the cat food calculator with the kitten stage and the age in weeks, in three or four meals.

How much wet food to feed a cat per day?

An indoor, neutered 4 kg (9 lb) cat needs about 226 kcal a day. On wet food only that is 2.5 pouches labelled 90 kcal (214 g); fed half wet, half dry it is 1.3 pouches plus 30 g of kibble. Pouches range from about 70 to 110 kcal, so the tables give counts for three label values by cat weight.

Open the cat food calculator

Wet food only, indoor or neutered cat

Calories from the NRC 2006 obese-prone adult equation (130 x kg^0.4), which fits most indoor neutered cats; pouches = calories / kcal per pouch as printed on the label.

Pouches per day on wet food only (indoor cat)
Cat weight	kcal/day	70 kcal pouches	90 kcal pouches	110 kcal pouches
3 kg (6.6 lb)	202	2.9	2.2	1.8
3.5 kg (7.7 lb)	215	3.1	2.4	2.0
4 kg (8.8 lb)	226	3.2	2.5	2.1
4.5 kg (9.9 lb)	237	3.4	2.6	2.2
5 kg (11 lb)	247	3.5	2.7	2.2
5.5 kg (12.1 lb)	257	3.7	2.9	2.3
6 kg (13.2 lb)	266	3.8	3.0	2.4

Half wet, half dry, indoor cat

Half the calories from 90 kcal pouches, the rest from a 3,800 kcal/kg kibble.

Half wet, half dry: pouches plus grams of kibble
Cat weight	kcal/day	90 kcal pouches	Kibble
3 kg (6.6 lb)	202	1.1	27 g
3.5 kg (7.7 lb)	215	1.2	28 g
4 kg (8.8 lb)	226	1.3	30 g
4.5 kg (9.9 lb)	237	1.3	31 g
5 kg (11 lb)	247	1.4	33 g
5.5 kg (12.1 lb)	257	1.4	34 g
6 kg (13.2 lb)	266	1.5	35 g

Wet food only, lean and active cat

The NRC lean-adult equation (100 x kg^0.67): outdoor or genuinely active cats.

Pouches per day on wet food only (lean, active cat)
Cat weight	kcal/day	70 kcal pouches	90 kcal pouches	110 kcal pouches
3 kg (6.6 lb)	209	3.0	2.3	1.9
3.5 kg (7.7 lb)	231	3.3	2.6	2.1
4 kg (8.8 lb)	253	3.6	2.8	2.3
4.5 kg (9.9 lb)	274	3.9	3.0	2.5
5 kg (11 lb)	294	4.2	3.3	2.7
5.5 kg (12.1 lb)	313	4.5	3.5	2.8
6 kg (13.2 lb)	332	4.7	3.7	3.0

Reading the label

US and UK pouches print kcal per pouch or per 100 g; EU labels give kJ or kcal per 100 g, so multiply by the pouch weight. Wet food is 75-80% water, which is why a full day is two or three pouches. Fine-tune with the cat food calculator and your own label figures, and adjust by body condition: cats vary by up to 30%.

Frequently asked questions

How many pouches of wet food should a cat have a day?: For an indoor 4 kg cat on wet only: 3.2 pouches of 70 kcal, 2.5 of 90 kcal or 2.1 of 110 kcal. A 5 kg cat needs 2.7 pouches of 90 kcal. Check the kcal on your pouch; brands differ by half.
How many 3 oz cans a day?: A 3 oz (85 g) can labelled 100 kcal: 2.3 cans a day for an indoor 4 kg cat, 2.5 for 5 kg. A 5.5 oz can is about twice that, so roughly one a day for a 4 kg cat.
Can I feed wet and dry together?: Yes, and the calories add up the same way: half wet, half dry for a 4 kg indoor cat is 1.3 pouches of 90 kcal plus 30 g of a 3,800 kcal/kg kibble. Set any split in the cat food calculator.
Does an active cat need more wet food?: A lean, active 4 kg cat needs about 253 kcal (NRC lean equation) against 226 for an indoor one: 2.8 pouches of 90 kcal on wet only. The WSAVA chart gives 226-253 kcal for 4 kg.
How much wet food for a kitten?: Kittens are fed by age per kilogram (218 kcal/kg under 8 weeks down to 83 kcal/kg at 32-40 weeks, NRC 2006), so the adult tables do not apply; use the cat food calculator with the kitten stage and the age in weeks, in three or four meals.

How many cups of dog food per day?
Cups of kibble a day by dog weight from the calories on your bag: tables for 300 to 450 kcal per cup, inactive and active adults, and meals.
How much should I feed my dog? Grams and cups by weight
Daily calories and grams of dry food for dogs from 2 to 50 kg, inactive and active, on foods from 3,400 to 4,000 kcal/kg, with the WSAVA chart range.
How many calories does a dog need per day?
Calories a day by weight and life stage from the NRC 2006 equations behind the WSAVA charts: adults 2 to 60 kg, puppies by adult size, weight loss.
How old is my dog in human years? Table from 1 to 16
Year-by-year table of dog age in human years by the AKC rule and the epigenetic clock, when a dog is senior by size, and the International Cat Care cat table.

Last updated 2026-09-15. Figures are planning estimates from typical product data: check the yield, size or coverage printed on what you buy and round up.