Dog, Cat and Animal Calorie Calculator
Estimate your animal's daily calories, resting energy requirement (RER) and food portions in grams, cups or meals. Includes dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, ferrets, birds, horses and farm animals.
Patient and units
The species sets the energy model and the life-stage options; the unit applies to both weights below.
How much do they weigh, and how do they live?
Current weight, life stage or activity, and a target weight where the plan needs one.
Use your animal's actual weight today.
Daily energy estimate
The target, the numbers behind it, and the converter that turns it into food portions.
Your daily target will appear here
Choose the animal, enter a body weight and press Calculate daily calories — changing the animal or the calculator mode clears the result.
Inputs changed — press Calculate daily calories to update this result.
Turn calories into food portions
Pick a food type for a typical value, or enter the exact calorie figure from the pack for the most accurate result.
On the bag, look for "calorie content" or "ME". It should match the option chosen above.
Example: a 400 g can that provides 380 kcal. Enter 400, choose grams, then 380 kcal.
We recommend weighing food on a kitchen scale. Cups vary a lot between foods and are easy to over-pour.
These figures are general guides based on standard resting energy and maintenance formulas. Real needs vary with breed, metabolism, health, neuter status, climate, coat and individual differences. Always feed to keep an ideal body condition score, weigh regularly, and speak to your vet before big diet changes, for weight loss plans, or if your animal is unwell, pregnant or nursing. Not a substitute for veterinary advice. By Dr Duncan Houston.
This calculator explains how its estimate is produced and is intended for general feeding guidance. It does not diagnose disease or replace an individual nutritional plan from your veterinarian.
How this pet calorie calculator works
Quick answer
Enter weight and life stage below for a starting calorie target. The result is an estimate, so weigh food accurately and adjust it according to body weight and body condition over time.
Select the species, enter current body weight and choose the closest life stage or activity level. The calculator produces a starting daily energy target. For dogs, cats and other companion mammals, it first estimates resting energy requirement and then applies a life-stage factor.
RER = 70 × body weight (kg)0.75DER / MER = RER × life-stage factorRER estimates the calories used at rest. Daily energy requirement (DER), commonly called maintenance energy requirement (MER), adjusts that baseline for age, neuter status, activity, growth or weight management. These calculations are starting points rather than a promise from the calorie gods: two animals of the same weight can still have different needs.
Dog calorie calculator
The dog calorie calculator applies commonly used canine maintenance factors to RER. A healthy neutered adult dog starts at approximately 1.6 × RER, while puppies and working dogs need more. A 10 kg neutered adult dog, for example, has an estimated RER of 394 kcal and an initial maintenance target of about 630 kcal per day.
| Dog life stage | Starting factor |
|---|---|
| Neutered adult | 1.6 × RER |
| Entire adult | 1.8 × RER |
| Obesity-prone adult | 1.4 × RER |
| Puppy under 4 months | 3.0 × RER |
| Puppy over 4 months | 2.0 × RER |
Cat calorie calculator
The cat calorie calculator accounts for lower typical maintenance factors in many indoor and neutered cats. A healthy neutered adult cat starts at approximately 1.2 × RER. For example, a 4 kg neutered adult cat has an estimated RER of 198 kcal and an initial target of about 238 kcal per day. Monitor cats carefully because relatively small daily differences add up quickly.
| Cat life stage | Starting factor |
|---|---|
| Neutered adult | 1.2 × RER |
| Entire adult | 1.4 × RER |
| Indoor or obesity-prone adult | 1.0 × RER |
| Kitten under 4 months | 2.5 × RER |
| Kitten from 4 months to 1 year | 2.0 × RER |
Calories and feeding estimates for other animals
The calculator also includes ferrets, rabbits, guinea pigs, birds, horses, cattle, sheep, goats and pigs. Their outputs use species-specific energy or dry-matter models where available. Requirements vary more with species, production stage, environment and diet quality, so use these results as broad planning estimates. A veterinarian or qualified animal nutritionist should formulate diets for growing, breeding, lactating, working or medically unwell animals.
Convert calories into grams, cups or meals
For the most accurate pet food calculation, enter the metabolizable energy (ME) or calorie content printed on the food label. If the label gives kcal per kilogram, the daily food amount is calculated as:
grams per day = daily kcal ÷ kcal per gram- Use a kitchen scale and measure food in grams whenever possible.
- Include treats, chews, toppers and dental products in the daily total.
- Keep non-complete treats to a small part of the calorie allowance so the main diet remains balanced.
- Recheck weight and body condition regularly, then adjust the amount gradually.
Pet calorie calculator FAQs
How many calories should my dog eat each day?
The answer depends on ideal weight, age, neuter status, activity and health. Use the calculated value as a starting point, then monitor weight and body condition and adjust with your veterinarian.
How many calories should my cat eat each day?
Indoor and neutered cats often require fewer calories than active or growing cats. Measure the full daily allowance, including treats, and track weight regularly.
What do RER, DER and MER mean?
RER means resting energy requirement. DER is daily energy requirement, while MER is maintenance energy requirement. Feeding guides may use DER and MER slightly differently, but both adjust baseline energy for the animal's circumstances.
Should I feed by cups or grams?
Use grams whenever possible. Cup estimates vary because food density and kibble shape differ, making accidental overfeeding surprisingly easy.
Can I use this calculator for pet weight loss?
Yes, as an initial estimate when the species offers a weight-loss option. Safe weight loss should use an ideal target weight and veterinary oversight, particularly if your animal has disease or is markedly overweight.
Veterinary review: Reviewed by Dr Duncan Houston, BVSc, veterinarian and founder of ASK A VET™. Last reviewed .
Veterinary nutrition references
