Dog/Cat Calorie Calculator
Calculate daily calorie requirements for a dog or cat by weight and activity.
About Dog/Cat Calorie Calculator
Energy needs scale with weight to the three-quarter power rather than linearly, so a 40 kg dog needs less than twice what a 20 kg dog does. Neutering reduces requirements noticeably, which is why post-neutering weight gain is so common. Feeding guides on packaging are generic and frequently overstate portions, so calculating from body weight and monitoring condition is more reliable.
Formula
Dog/Cat Calorie
RER = 70 × weight^0.75; daily requirement = RER × life stage multiplier
- RER
- Resting energy requirement, which scales with metabolic body size
- 0.75 exponent
- Metabolic rate scales with body mass to the three-quarter power
Worked example
With the default values below, Dog/Cat Calorie Calculator returns Daily Calorie Requirement of 1,059.2. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.
Inputs used
- Body weightminimum 0.1 kg
- 20 kg
- Speciesone of Dog, Cat
- Dog
- Life stage and activityone of Growing puppy or kitten, Adult, neutered, Adult, intact, Active or working, Weight loss, Senior, less active
- Adult, neutered
- Food energy densityminimum 100 kcal/kg
- 3,800 kcal/kg
Results
- Daily Calorie Requirement
- 1,059.2 kcal
- Resting Energy Requirement
- 662.0 kcal
- Life Stage Multiplier
- 1.60 x
- Daily Food Quantity
- 278.7 g
- Monthly Food Requirement
- 8.485 kg
Step by step
- 1Values used
- 2Dog/Cat Calorie
- 3Daily Calorie Requirement= 1,059.2 kcal
- 4Resting Energy Requirement= 662.0 kcal
- 5Life Stage Multiplier= 1.60 x
- 6Daily Food Quantity= 278.7 g
- 7Monthly Food Requirement= 8.485 kg
Assumptions and limits
- The result is derived only from the 4 inputs listed above. Anything not among them is not part of the calculation.
- In particular, this calculator does not take inflation, tax, fees or charges or compounding frequency into account.
- Figures are rounded for display to 3 decimal places, so totals built from several rounded parts can differ slightly from the unrounded arithmetic.
- This is a general estimate. Individual requirements vary with metabolism, health conditions and medication. Consult your veterinarian before making significant dietary changes, particularly for weight loss programmes or animals with medical conditions.
How these calculators are built and tested is described on the Methodology page. If a figure looks wrong, please report it.
This is a general estimate. Individual requirements vary with metabolism, health conditions and medication. Consult your veterinarian before making significant dietary changes, particularly for weight loss programmes or animals with medical conditions.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is Dog/Cat Calorie calculated?
RER = 70 × weight^0.75; daily requirement = RER × life stage multiplier Energy needs scale with weight to the three-quarter power rather than linearly, so a 40 kg dog needs less than twice what a 20 kg dog does. Neutering reduces requirements noticeably, which is why post-neutering weight gain is so common.
Why does Dog/Cat Calorie matter?
Feeding guides on packaging are generic and frequently overstate portions, so calculating from body weight and monitoring condition is more reliable.
What values do I need to enter?
This calculator takes 4 inputs: Body weight, Species, Life stage and activity, Food energy density. The pre-filled defaults are a realistic starting point — replace them with figures from your own environment for a result you can act on.