This will help you determine the exact amount you should be feeding them. This article has been viewed 23,356 times. The muscle condition score also helps estimate whether or not the pet is receiving enough protein. You can use this method to calculate the dry matter percentages of the other ingredients as well. For example, an adult cat that has been neutered and that weighs 10lbs (4.54kg) will use the following formula to calculate their desired calories: (4.54^0.75)*70*1.2=261 calories/day. The amount is then adjusted up or down as needed to maintain a healthy body condition score. [1] Therefore, the percentages on the canned food will always look much lower compared to dry foods. Switch to wet food: Canned cat food is more appealing than dry. Table 1. Please read before using this calculator: This online calculator uses the Predictive Equations of NRC 2006 (the 4-step method) to estimate the Metabolisable Energy (ME) of prepared foods for cats and dogs (Fediaf Nutritional Guidelines). 5020 Bradenton Avenue are they they a working dog), how old they are (energy requirements are different between puppies/kittens and fully grown cats or … By using our site, you agree to our. Facebook; Twitter; Instagram; Pinterest Protein in Red. Younger and geriatric pets may need more; young pets for growth, and old pets because they appear to be less able to utilize dietary protein than are younger animals. Galbreath Equine Center: 614-292-6661, Veterinary Medical Center at Dublin In most instances your vet will provide you with an ideal caloric range for your cat. By signing up you are agreeing to receive emails according to our privacy policy. Step #1: To do this, you use the percentages calculated in the above section. Veterinary Medical Center Cats offered a choice of 3 foods with variable amounts of protein, carbs and fat … They even process the glucose their body needs… from protein! To figure out how much food to feed a cat at each meal, simply divide the daily amount of food by the number of meals you plan to offer each day. (614) 889-8070Contact Us, If you have a disability and experience difficulty accessing this content, contact CVM-DigitalAccessibility@osu.edu. You can also determine the amount of calories by finding an online calorie calculator and entering the information from the bag’s label. For example, if your cat needs 200 calories per day and they eat 50 calories in treats, they would have 150 calories left to receive from food. 100% – Crude Protein% – Crude Fat% – Fiber% – Moisture% – Ash% = Carbs (If Ash is not listed, assume 8% for dry food and 2 or 3% for wet food) Here’s an example of a dry cat food we can work through together: For instance, chicken-based foods typically have more calories than turkey, fish, or beef-based cat foods. Individual pet needs can vary by as much as 50% from calculated values however, so these are only starting points for estimating the amount of food to be provided daily. Popular Cat Food Calorie Content. Animals use protein as a source of the amino acids they cannot make, and of nitrogen for the ones they can make. Kittens need to eat slightly more because they are still growing. Some cats can be too thin and may need to put on some extra pounds. Thus, in this diet, the energy provided by protein is 45.5% times 3.5 kcal/g, or 159 kcal, and the energy provided by fat and carbohydrate are 232 kcal and 4 kcal, respectively, for a total of 395 kcal. This is because the percentages on the label include all the water in the food and don’t take into account the calories in the food, either. You can also email or phone the manufacturer to inquire about this information. Calculate their caloric needs by using their desired weight instead of their actual weight. ... That's .. A bit excessive! The conversions would be: 1000 kcal = 1 cal or 1 Calorie. If your cat is overweight and placed on a restricted diet, they will probably be fed between 180-200 calories per day. For advice from our Veterinary co-author on how to determine the amount of calories your cat needs each day, read on! (i.e one human food calorie equals one pet food kilocalorie). Use the Merrick dog and cat food calculator to determine the optimal amount of dog or cat food for your pet, perfect for their age and lifestyle. Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. Switch to kitten food: Kitten food is higher in calories than adult food. Alpo ~ 5.5oz cans. If this were a kitten, you would adjust the factor number from 1.2 to 2. The RER is then multiplied by factors to estimate the pet’s total daily energy needs. To get started, open the Tom&Sawyer Calorie Needs Calculator. Every dollar contributed enables us to keep providing high-quality how-to help to people like you. And so it varies. Dr. Jennifer Coates. As a result, you should feed them frequent meals (approximately four per day) and they should eat as much as they can until they reach six months of age. Chicken Formula 192 Chicken, Ocean Fish & Turkey Formula 192 Ocean Fish Formula 176 Turkey Formula 200 Turkey, Ocean Fish & Chicken Lite 146. Read the "Guaranteed Analysis" statement on the package of cat food, ... Click "Calculate" Read the percentage of carbs in the food, the calories per 100g of food, and the calories per ounce of food, based on the numbers you entered. Determining the Calorie Content of Cat Foods, {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/b\/b1\/Count-Calories-in-Your-Cat%27s-Food-Step-1-Version-2.jpg\/v4-460px-Count-Calories-in-Your-Cat%27s-Food-Step-1-Version-2.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/b\/b1\/Count-Calories-in-Your-Cat%27s-Food-Step-1-Version-2.jpg\/aid8735597-v4-728px-Count-Calories-in-Your-Cat%27s-Food-Step-1-Version-2.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"