Kitten Calorie Needs Calculator

About this calculator

A growing kitten's daily energy need starts from its resting energy requirement (RER), roughly 70 times body weight in kilograms raised to the 0.75 power, then multiplied by an age-based factor that reflects how much extra energy growth demands — as high as 2.5 times RER for kittens under about 4 months old, tapering down toward the adult maintenance level of around 1.2 to 1.4 times RER as they approach a year old. Dividing the resulting daily calorie target by the food's calories per gram gives the actual portion size to feed.

Cat owners, breeders and veterinary staff use this calculation because underfeeding a growing kitten stunts development while overfeeding sets up lifelong weight problems, and generic "feed according to the bag" instructions rarely account for an individual kitten's actual weight and age the way a calculated target does.

This calculator takes your kitten's weight, age in months and food's calorie density and returns its daily energy needs and the food portion in grams, so you can feed an amount matched to its actual growth stage rather than a one-size-fits-all scoop.