Kitten Feeding Chart

A growing kitten’s daily calories follow the NRC 2006 growth curve, which eases toward adult needs as the kitten fills out: around 190 kcal at 2 months, levelling off near 280 to 320 kcal from about 6 months, split into three meals a day until six months and two after. Enter your kitten’s weight, expected adult weight and your food label for cups or cans.

By Sikander Malik · Updated October 20, 2026 · Sources

A ginger kitten eating kibble from a red bowl indoors

Photo: Yesehoon / Pexels

Sex

Kitten's weight

Expected adult weight

Salt 2023 median; most cats land near this

Age

months

For meals a day: 3 until 6 months, then 2

Wet vs dry

Wet

kcal/can

Example; use your label

Dry

kcal/cup

Example; use your label

Feed about

256kcal/day

≈ 1.28 cans of wet food + ≈ 0.28 cups of dry food a day.

Split into 3 meals a day, about 85 kcal each.

Resting energy (RER)109 kcal

Merck rule of thumb274 kcal (2.5 × RER)

Show the math

NRC 2006 growth: ME = 100 × BW^0.67 × 6.7 × (e^(−0.189p) − 0.66), p = weight ÷ adult weight. Cups = daily kcal ÷ kcal per cup; cans = daily kcal ÷ kcal per can.

A starting point only; adjust to keep your kitten in good body condition, and ask your vet. Kittens can also be fed free choice (Merck).

Estimates only, not veterinary advice. For an adult cat, or to split wet and dry in detail, use the cat food calculator. Ask your vet about your kitten’s diet.

Kitten feeding chart by age

Calories a day for a growing kitten, by age and sex, with how many meals to split them into. The weight for each age is the median for a neutered Domestic Shorthair kitten; weigh your own kitten and adjust. The main number is calories (kcal); turn it into cups or cans with the calculator above and the figure on your food label.

Calories a day and per meal, by age and sex

Kitten calories per day and per meal by age and sex
Age	Meals a day	Female	Male
2 mo	3	191 kcal2.1 lb · 64/meal	201 kcal2.2 lb · 67/meal
3 mo	3	237 kcal3.3 lb · 79/meal	257 kcal3.6 lb · 86/meal
4 mo	3	262 kcal4.3 lb · 87/meal	296 kcal5.1 lb · 99/meal
5 mo	3	276 kcal5.2 lb · 92/meal	315 kcal6.4 lb · 105/meal
6 mo	2	281 kcal5.7 lb · 141/meal	322 kcal7.3 lb · 161/meal
7 mo	2	285 kcal6.2 lb · 143/meal	325 kcal8.1 lb · 163/meal
8 mo	2	287 kcal6.7 lb · 144/meal	326 kcal8.8 lb · 163/meal
9 mo	2	287 kcal7.2 lb · 144/meal	324 kcal9.3 lb · 162/meal
10 mo	2	285 kcal7.7 lb · 143/meal	323 kcal9.7 lb · 162/meal
11 mo	2	284 kcal8.0 lb · 142/meal	259 kcal^†9.9 lb · adult

kcal a day from the NRC 2006 growth curve, split into the meals shown; the sub-line is the median weight for that age and the calories per meal. The amount eases off, not up, as a kitten nears adult size. ^† within 5% of adult weight, so shown as adult maintenance.

Energy: the NRC 2006 growth equation (ME = 100 × BW^0.67 × 6.7 × (e^−0.189p − 0.66), p = weight ÷ adult weight), reproduced free in Packer, dvm360 (2021). Weight for age: Salt et al. 2023 (Liverpool DataCat 1459, CC BY 3.0).

Two notes from the Merck table

Any calorie figure is only a starting point and may need to be adjusted based on how your kitten responds, so weigh it and keep it in good body condition. Kittens can alternatively be fed free choice (food left out), which many do well on while growing.

Meals a day by age

The Cornell Feline Health Center advises that, until they are six months old, kittens usually do best fed three meals a day; between six months and one year, twice daily feeding is generally best. Kittens need more food per pound than adult cats to support their growth, so they are fed more often.

How many meals a day

Kitten meals per day by age
Age	Meals
Under 6 months	3 meals a day
6 to 12 months	2 meals a day
Adult (1 year +)	1 to 2 meals a day

Cornell Feline Health Center, How often should you feed your cat?

Near adult size, switch to adult amounts

Once your kitten reaches about 95% of its expected adult weight, or 12 months, feed it as an adult cat: about 1.2 × RER for a neutered cat and 1.4 × RER for an intact one (Merck). That is roughly 221 to 259 kcal a day for a 8.0 to 9.9 lb cat, below the growing-kitten peak. Energy needs drop after spaying or neutering, so watch your cat’s weight and cut back if needed. The cat food calculator does the adult numbers.

How the chart is worked out

We work out the day’s calories with the NRC 2006 growth equation: ME = 100 × BW^0.67 × 6.7 × (e^{−0.189 × p} − 0.66), where p is the kitten’s weight divided by its expected adult weight (capped at 1). Unlike a flat multiple of resting energy, it eases toward adult needs as the kitten fills out, so a 10 to 11 month kitten is not overfed. Merck’s simpler rule of thumb is 2.5 × RER, which we show as a cross-check, not the main number. The weight for each age is the median for a neutered Domestic Shorthair kitten from Salt et al. (2023), the same dataset behind our cat weight chart. Calories per meal are the day’s calories divided by the meals from Cornell. For a number tuned to your food, the calculator divides the daily calories by the kcal per cup or per can on the label (for example, if your label says 450 kcal per cup). The equation is printed in NRC 2006 and reproduced free by Packer (dvm360, 2021).

Questions owners ask

How much should a 3 month old kitten eat?

A three-month-old kitten weighs about 3 to 4 pounds and needs roughly 235 to 260 calories a day by the NRC 2006 growth equation. Split that into three meals of about 80 to 85 calories each. Females are usually a little lighter than males, so weigh your kitten and check the chart. The exact cups or cans depend on the calories listed on your food.

How many times a day should I feed a kitten?

The Cornell Feline Health Center advises three meals a day until a kitten is six months old, then twice daily from six months to one year. The Merck Veterinary Manual notes kittens can also be fed free choice (food left out) while they are growing. Pick whichever keeps your kitten in good body condition.

How much should I feed my kitten by weight?

The calculator uses the NRC 2006 growth equation, which needs the kitten’s current weight and its expected adult weight, so the amount eases off as the kitten grows. As a rough guide for a cat heading toward about 9 pounds: a 2 pound kitten is about 190 calories a day, a 4 pound kitten about 260, and a 7 pound kitten about 300. Enter your own numbers for a tighter figure, and start low if unsure.

When do I switch a kitten to adult cat food?

Once your kitten reaches about 95% of its expected adult weight, or 12 months of age, feed it as an adult: about 1.2 times resting energy if neutered, 1.4 times if intact (Merck), which is below the growing-kitten peak. Energy needs drop after spaying or neutering, so watch the weight and cut back if your cat starts to gain.

Is wet or dry food better for a kitten?

Both can be complete for growth. Choose a food labelled for growth or all life stages (an AAFCO statement on the bag or can), and feed the amount that keeps your kitten lean and active. The calculator works out cups or cans for either, or a mix. Ask your vet if you are not sure which to use.

Related tools

A grey cat eating from a green bowl on a tiled floor

Cat food calculator

Daily calories and cans or cups, split wet and dry.

Cat weight chart

Kitten weight by month, male and female, from vet data.

Close-up of a young tabby kitten against a light backdrop

Kitten age chart

Estimate a kitten’s age from weight, teeth, eyes and ears.

Cat years calculator

Your cat’s age in human years.

Sources

National Research Council (2006), Nutrient Requirements of Dogs and Cats (the kitten growth ME equation; RER = 70 × kg^0.75). Reproduced free in Packer RA, “Easy nutritional math,” dvm360 (2021), under “Robin’s Fun Equations,” where you can check the formula.
Merck Veterinary Manual, Daily Maintenance Energy Requirements for Dogs and Cats (adult cats 1.2 × RER neutered, 1.4 × RER intact; the 2.5 × RER kitten rule of thumb used as a cross-check; free-choice and “starting point only” notes).
Cornell Feline Health Center, How often should you feed your cat? (three meals a day until six months, twice daily from six months to one year).
Salt C, Butterwick RF, Henzel KS, German AJ. Comparison of growth in neutered Domestic Shorthair kittens with growth in sexually-intact cats. PLoS ONE 2023;18(3):e0283016. (Liverpool DataCat 1459, CC BY 3.0) for weight by age.
Accessed Oct 20, 2026.

Estimates only, not veterinary advice. Ask your vet about your kitten’s diet.