Last Updated: 13/10/2026
How Much to Feed your Kitten
Having a new kitten is a fun and exciting experience! Now that you've got all your kitten's essential items find out how much to feed your growing kitten
Author: Dr Antonella Virina DVM
Reading Time: 11 minutes - short read
Having a new kitten is a fun and exciting experience! Now that you've got all your kitten's essential items, let's talk about how much to feed your growing kitten.
One of the most common questions pet parents ask is how much to feed their pets. Younger pets grow at a rapid rate, often leading pet parents to wonder whether they are feeding the right amount of food.
Don't stress - this comprehensive guide will explain your kitten's nutritional requirements, which food is suitable for them throughout kittenhood, how often and how much to feed, and other nutritional information that will help you ensure your kitten grows up healthy and happy.
Most kittens need 3 to 4 small meals a day until around 5 to 6 months of age, then 2 meals a day. How much depends on their age and weight: an average 8-week-old kitten needs around 160 kcal a day, and a 3-month-old around 225 kcal a day. This kitten feeding guide shows you how to work out the right amount for your kitten.
For the bigger picture, see our guide to choosing the right nutrition for your cat at every lifestage.
In this article
- How much should I feed my kitten at each age?
- Kitten feeding chart: how much should a kitten eat by age?
- How do I work out how much to feed my kitten?
- Should I feed my kitten wet or dry food?
- How often should I feed my kitten?
- Does the bowl matter for kittens?
- When can kittens eat solid food?
- What does a kitten need in their diet?
Kitten feeding chart: how much should a kitten eat by age?
Newborn to 4 weeks
- Nursing every 2-3 hours to start, moving to 4- 6 times a day as they grow
- For kittens fed by mum, feeding is ad lib with no fixed calorie target. For bottle-fed or orphaned kittens, follow the milk replacer's recommended intake for their current weight, increasing the amount as they gain weight. Monitor daily weight gain to track progress for all kittens - aim for roughly 10-15 g/day, or at least 100 g/week
4 to 6 weeks
- Solid food offered several times a day alongside continued nursing or bottle feeding as weaning begins.
- No fixed calorie figure yet - intake is still variable as kittens learn to eat solids, so let them free-feed during this transition.
6 to 8 weeks
- 3-4 small meals a day
- Around 162 kcal/day for an average 900 g kitten at 8 weeks
8 weeks to 10 months
- 3-4 small meals a day, tapering to 2 slightly larger meals from around 5-6 months
- Around 225 kcal/day for an average 1.4 kg kitten at 3 months (calorie needs rise then level off as growth slows after 6 months)
Over 10 months
- 2 meals a day
- No single figure here - your kitten is nearing the adult food transition (typically 10-15 months depending on breed and body condition), so it's worth calculating their specific needs individually using the calculator below. See more in when to switch from kitten to adult cat food.
These figures are based on average weights for each age. Use the calculator in the next section to calculate your kitten's specific calorie needs.
How do I work out how much to feed my kitten?
Work out your kitten’s daily calorie requirement from their weight, then divide by the calories in their food to get grams a day. The easiest way is our kitten feeding calculator.
Kitten feeding & cost calculator
We'll work out how much your kitten should be eating each day using the method vets use, then show you exactly what that costs per feed.
1Your kitten's daily energy needs
This decides how much food they actually need.
Enter your kitten's ideal or goal body weight above.
2About the food
Grab these details straight off the pack.
Usually listed on the pack as Metabolisable Energy (ME).
Based on the details on the left
Cheapest per feed isn't always the best value. Ingredient quality and digestibility, your kitten's health needs and how well the food agrees with them all matter too.
The method above is a great starting point, but every kitten is different. Chat to your vet, especially if your kitten has weight or health goals.
No scales? Use the average weights in our feeding chart, or weigh your kitten on kitchen scales.
The calculator works out your kitten's daily energy requirement (DER) in calories by calculating their resting energy requirement (RER = 70 x (body weight in kg)0.75) and multiplying it by a growth factor of 2.5. It then determines the daily feeding amount by dividing their DER by the energy density in their food.
By hand, divide your kitten's daily kcal by the kcal per gram on the pack. A 3 month old, 1.4 kg kitten needs about 225 kcal a day. ADVANCE Kitten Chicken with Rice has about 3.9 kcal per gram (390 per 100 g), so 225 divided by 3.9 is about 58 g a day, or 14.5 g a meal over 4 meals.
Most brands take care of the guesswork and already provide a feeding guide. For this, you typically just need to know your kitten's age and/or weight, and refer to the back of the food packaging. For example, Wellness Core Tiny Tasters Kitten Pate Chicken suggests 0.5 to 1 pouch per 0.5 kg a day, so a 2 kg kitten gets 2 to 4 pouches.
The most common mistake we see is portions guessed by eye. Weigh your kitten's food in grams on kitchen scales, then split it across the day's meals.
For adult pets and other life stages and conditions, see our pet feeding calculator in how much to feed your dog or cat.
Should I feed my kitten wet or dry food?
Kittens can do well on wet food, dry food or a mix of both, as long as the food is complete and balanced and they have plenty of fresh water.
Can I feed my kitten both dry and wet food?
Yes, you can feed your kitten both dry and wet food, and many of our vets like it. Wet food (such as pouches or trays) adds moisture, while dry food (kibble) is handy for grazing and puzzle feeders. The key is the kibble and pouch balance: work out your kitten's daily calories (about 160 kcal at 8 weeks and 225 kcal at 3 months), then split them between the two so the total stays on target, rather than adding both in full.
Can kittens eat dry food only?
Yes, kittens can do well on a good quality, complete and balanced dry kitten food, as long as they have plenty of fresh water. Many vets still suggest including some wet food for the extra moisture.
Wet food is a favourite for many cat parents. Cats are notorious for not drinking enough water, so it's an easy way to boost hydration, and the variety of gravies, jellies and pates can tempt even the fussiest kitten. See our picks for the best wet kitten food. Dry food is easier to store and more calorie-dense, so it can save you a bit of money. It also works in food puzzles and feeders like the Scream Interactive Feeder to stimulate your kitten's natural hunting instincts, and our best dry kitten food guide has our favourites.
Want to know more? Check out our guide to Wet vs Dry food for Cats.
How often should I feed my kitten?
Until about 5 to 6 months of age, aim for 3 to 4 small meals a day, then move to 2 slightly larger meals.
When do kittens go from three meals to two?
Most kittens can go from three meals a day to two at around 5 to 6 months of age, as their growth slows slightly and their stomach capacity increases. Make the change slowly and keep an eye on their weight so they stay lean and active.
Because young kittens are growing rapidly but have small stomachs, they need smaller, more frequent meals. During weaning, it's best to leave food out constantly (ad lib feeding) to encourage them to eat. However, once weaned, you should switch to scheduled meal times. Free-feeding older cats can lead to weight gain and makes it harder to monitor changes in their appetite.
In some cases though, it's not always easy to strictly adhere to a schedule especially for busy cat parents. An automatic cat feeder like the Catit Pixi Smart 6 - Meal Feeder can be an especially handy tool to invest in. It can be programmed to dispense up to 6 preloaded meals per day and can hold both dry food and wet food, as well as treats.
Want to know more? Check out our guide to the Best Automatic Feeders for Cats.
Does the bowl matter for kittens?
It can. Some cats seem to find deep or narrow bowls uncomfortable, because their whiskers are very sensitive and keep brushing the sides, which is often called "whisker fatigue". A shallow, wide bowl (such as stainless steel or ceramic) can make mealtime more comfortable for your kitten.
For more on your options, see our guide to food and water bowls.
When can kittens eat solid food?
Most kittens start showing interest in solid food from around 4 weeks of age, and are usually eating solid food well by about 6-8 weeks.
Weaning is a gradual process rather than a switch. Offer a moistened kitten food or a soft wet kitten food several times a day alongside nursing or bottle feeding, and let your kitten set the pace. For the very early weeks, see our guide to caring for a newborn kitten, and for more on feeding in the first weeks, our start-of-life nutrition guide.
Weaning is messy, and that's normal. A shallow saucer, a warm room and plenty of patience help, and it's common for more food to end up on the kitten than in them.
What does a kitten need in their diet?
Kittens need a complete and balanced kitten food with more energy and protein than adult food, plus the right calcium, DHA and antioxidants for rapid growth.
- Energy: Kittens have higher energy requirements than adults as their bodies are still constantly growing. Packaging lists this as 'Metabolisable Energy' (ME) in kcal, which can differ even between products from the same brand.
- Digestibility: A nutrient only helps if your kitten can digest it. Healthy stools are formed and easy to pick up, so if that changes, check in with your vet.
- Protein: As obligate carnivores, cats need more protein than dogs. The Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) recommends at least 30% protein on a dry matter basis for growth, but more isn't better.
- Calcium: Kittens need more calcium than adult cats to support healthy bones and teeth. One thing we see often is owners adding a calcium supplement to a kitten who is already on a good kitten food. It isn't needed, and too much can cause skeletal and urinary problems, so check with your vet first.
- Fatty acids (DHA): DHA, an omega-3 fatty acid, supports healthy brain and vision development in kittens.
- Antioxidants: Antioxidants like vitamins A, C and E help protect growing cells and support the immune system.
Want to know more? Take a look at our guide to how to choose the Best Kitten Food.
Kitten Feeding FAQs
With so much information out there about nutrition for cats, it can understandably be tricky to really determine specifically how much food to feed your kitten. As they undergo such a rapid period of growth and development, it's important to do constant weight checks to see how your kitten is tracking along and adjusting their diets accordingly to ensure your cat is at a healthy body weight, not too lean nor too heavy, but at just the right weight range for their size at any one time.
Keep in mind that the feeding guides are really just recommendations and only serve as a good starting point of how much to feed your kitten. Breed/size, lifestyle, health conditions are just some of the factors that affect how much a pet should be eating. For more specific advice on how much to feed your kitten, please reach out to your regular veterinarian or our Vet Squad for more advice.
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History
Our experts continually monitor the health and wellness space and we update our articles when new information becomes available.
Wed 14 Oct 2026
Edited by Dr Gillian Hill BVSc (Hons)Dr Antonella Virina DVM
Veterinarian (DVM)
Dr. Antonella graduated from university in 2019 with a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine with a specialization in research and diagnostics. Enjoying the dynamic and continuous learning process that comes with being a vet, Dr. Antonella helps provide sound advice to pet owners to ensure the health and wellbeing of their pets.
