Cat feeding schedule: how often to feed
An adult cat eats at least twice a day — morning and evening. By nature, though, a cat is a hunter of small prey and in the wild takes 8 to 16 tiny meals a day, so three or four smaller feeds suit a cat better than they would a dog. Kittens eat more often: three to four times a day up to six months, then two to three between six and twelve months.
- Hydration is part of feeding. Cats drink little by instinct, and wet food covers a large share of their daily water intake — which matters directly for urinary health.
- Portion size comes from your cat’s weight and the calorie density of the food. Start with the chart on the packaging and adjust to body condition — weight gain in cats is quiet and builds over months.
- A cat should never be left with no food at all. Going without for more than 24–48 hours can trigger hepatic lipidosis, especially in overweight cats — unlike a dog, a cat does not shrug off a missed meal.
How many meals a day, by age
Frequency changes as a cat grows. The meal counts below are standard practice; the exact portion depends on breed, activity and the health of your particular cat.
| Age | Meals per day | What to keep in mind |
|---|---|---|
| 8 weeks – 4 months | 4 | A kitten’s stomach holds very little and growth is fast. Four small meals cover the need without overloading digestion. This is also the easy age to get a kitten used to wet food. |
| 4 – 6 months | 3 – 4 | Growth continues, but the kitten copes with longer gaps. Lifelong habits form here — if you want a cat that eats both wet and dry food, now is the time. |
| 6 – 12 months | 2 – 3 | The move to an adult routine. After neutering, calorie needs drop noticeably while appetite often does not — revisit the portion, not just the number of meals. |
| Adults (1 – 7 years) | 2 (or more, smaller) | Morning and evening is a workable minimum, but three or four smaller portions sit closer to a cat’s natural rhythm and help with gulping and the vomiting that follows it. |
| Over 7 years | 2 – 3 smaller | Smaller, more frequent portions digest more easily. At this age weight loss, extra thirst and a changed appetite are early signals of kidney or thyroid trouble — worth logging. |
How much food per day: daily ration by weight
There is no universal table in grams, because calorie density differs several times over — especially between dry and wet food. It takes two steps: the daily calories first, then what that means for your food.
Daily calories come from 70 × (weight in kg to the power of 0.75) × a lifestyle factor. For a neutered adult cat that factor is about 1.2; intact, 1.4; a growing kitten, 2.5; for weight loss, 0.8.
| Weight | Calories per day | Dry food | Wet food |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 kg | ≈ 190 kcal | ≈ 50 g | ≈ 240 g |
| 4 kg | ≈ 240 kcal | ≈ 65 g | ≈ 300 g |
| 5 kg | ≈ 280 kcal | ≈ 75 g | ≈ 350 g |
| 6 kg | ≈ 320 kcal | ≈ 85 g | ≈ 400 g |
| 7 kg | ≈ 360 kcal | ≈ 95 g | ≈ 450 g |
These assume a neutered adult cat, dry food at 380 kcal and wet at 80 kcal per 100 g. That gap is why wet portions look large — they are mostly water. Check the calories on your own packaging, then divide the daily calories by the calories in 100 g and multiply by 100. If you mix wet and dry, split the ration between them.
Kittens: how much food by age
A kitten needs almost twice as many calories per kilogram as an adult cat — it grows fast and its stomach is small. Its ration is worked out from age and current weight, not from the adult table.
| Age | Weight (guide) | Calories per day | Dry food | Wet food | Meals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 months | 0.8 – 1.1 kg | ≈ 210 kcal | ≈ 55 g | ≈ 265 g | 4 |
| 3 months | 1.2 – 1.8 kg | ≈ 285 kcal | ≈ 75 g | ≈ 355 g | 4 |
| 4 months | 1.8 – 2.3 kg | ≈ 295 kcal | ≈ 75 g | ≈ 370 g | 3 – 4 |
| 6 months | 2.3 – 3.6 kg | ≈ 320 kcal | ≈ 85 g | ≈ 400 g | 2 – 3 |
Calories are worked out for the middle of each weight range — 1, 1.5, 2 and 3 kg — with a factor of 3.0 to the third month, 2.5 at four months and 2.0 at six. That gives about 200 kcal per kilogram at 10 weeks, in line with the AAHA guidelines for growing kittens. Grams assume dry food at 380 kcal and wet at 80 kcal per 100 g; kitten food is often richer, so check the packaging. Up to 4 weeks a kitten nurses, and solid food comes in gradually between weeks 4 and 6. If your kitten is heavier or lighter than the guide, work from its weight, not its age.
A sample day for an adult cat
An example for an adult cat with the daily ration split between wet and dry food. Treat the hours as a guide — shift them to your own routine, then keep them.
Build the schedule in the app
A sheet on the fridge works until someone walks past it. In PetsClub the schedule sits on every phone in the house and the reminder arrives at the right hour — so nobody feeds twice and nobody forgets.
- Add your cat and choose how many meals a day it needs
- Set the time and the amount for each one, wet and dry separately
- Turn on reminders and share the profile with the rest of the household
Common questions about feeding a cat
How much should a 2-month-old kitten eat?
About 210 calories a day — roughly 55 g of dry or 265 g of wet food, split into 4 meals. A 2-month-old kitten usually weighs between 0.8 and 1.1 kg. If yours is larger or smaller, work from its weight: at this age it needs about 200 calories per kilogram.
How much should a 4-month-old kitten eat?
About 295 calories a day — roughly 75 g of dry or 370 g of wet food, in 3 to 4 meals. At 4 months a kitten usually weighs 1.8 – 2.3 kg. Growth is slowing, so calories per kilogram fall even as the total amount rises with weight.
How many times a day should a cat eat?
Twice a day is the minimum for an adult cat — morning and evening. If your day allows it, three or four smaller meals sit closer to a cat’s natural rhythm: in the wild a cat hunts and eats many tiny portions across the day. Kittens under six months eat three to four times a day.
Can I leave dry food out all day?
Free access to dry food is the most common reason house cats put on weight — you cannot tell how much went down, and few cats stop on their own. Measure the daily amount and serve it in portions instead. One important difference from dogs: a cat should not be left with no food at all, because going without is genuinely dangerous for them.
Wet food or dry food — which is better for a cat?
A combination works best. Wet food is roughly 70–80% water and covers much of the daily fluid intake — cats drink little by instinct, and that ties directly to urinary health and kidney function. Dry food is easy to measure and works well in a puzzle feeder. If your cat has had a urinary problem, a vet will usually push the balance towards wet food.
My cat wakes me for food at dawn — what can I do?
Waking at 4 or 5am is normal hunting behaviour, but it gets stronger every time you reward it with breakfast. What helps: a small late-evening portion, an active play session before bed, and the same hours every day. A timed automatic feeder solves it most cleanly, because the food then comes from the device rather than from you.
How should I feed several cats in one home?
Separate bowls in separate places, not two bowls side by side. Cats are not social eaters, and proximity creates tension — the faster one finishes both portions while the shy one goes hungry. If the cats are on different diets, or one takes medication in food, feed them in different rooms and clear the leftovers.
My cat is not eating — when is it urgent?
A cat refusing food becomes urgent far faster than a dog. After about 24 hours without eating, the body starts moving fat to the liver and hepatic lipidosis can set in — a life-threatening condition that most often hits overweight cats. One skipped meal is not a crisis, but a full day without food is a reason to see a vet, not to wait it out.
Set the reminders once
The hard part of any schedule is keeping it every day. In PetsClub you enter the times and portions once, and the phone does the remembering — for you and for anyone else at home who feeds the cat.
- Repeating reminders for every meal, with a push notification on time
- A separate schedule per cat if you have more than one
- A history of meals and weight that is genuinely useful at a check-up
