Tools
Calorie calculator for dogs & cats
Work out roughly how many calories, how much water and how much food your dog or cat needs each day.
Estimates only. Individual animals can vary by up to 50% from these values. Use as a starting point, then adjust based on weight trends. Not a substitute for veterinary advice.
Species
Body condition score 1 = emaciated, 5 = ideal, 9 = obese
Ideal — ribs easily palpable, visible waist from above.
Look for “metabolisable energy” on the bag, usually labelled in kcal/kg. For wet food listed per 100g, multiply by 10.
Daily requirements
Resting energy (RER)534 kcal
Maintenance energy (MER)854 kcal/day
Water750–1200ml
Methodology & sources. Resting Energy Requirement calculated using the exponential formula RER = 70 × (bodyweight in kg)0.75. Maintenance Energy Requirement multipliers and life-stage factors are derived from the MSD Veterinary Manual and the National Research Council (NRC) publication Nutrient Requirements of Dogs and Cats (2006). Body Condition Score scoring follows the WSAVA Global Nutrition Toolkit 9-point scale, with target-weight estimation based on the standard 10%-per-BCS-point convention. Water requirement ranges (50–80ml/kg dogs, 50–60ml/kg cats) reflect commonly cited maintenance values in veterinary nutrition literature. Note for cat owners: indoor neutered cats are often less active than the textbook 1.2× multiplier assumes. Many veterinary nutrition specialists start sedentary indoor cats at 1.0× RER and adjust upward only if weight loss occurs. If your cat's lifestyle is mostly indoor and low-activity, treat the calculated MER as an upper bound and consult your vet for a tailored starting point. This calculator provides general informational estimates only and does not constitute veterinary advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always consult a licensed veterinarian for individual feeding recommendations, particularly for animals with medical conditions, those at extreme body conditions, or those undergoing weight management.