Turn your vet's kcal target into real portions

Last updated 14 October 2026 · Data from manufacturer labels, checked 2026-10-14

Enter the daily target and your label numbers; get cans, cups and grams. Runs in your browser.

1. Daily target into cans, cups or grams

Daily kcal target Treat kcal per day

Calories from wet food: 60%

Wet kcal per can Dry kcal per cup

Pick from the database

Wet food Dry food

Wet kcal/kg (grams) Dry kcal/kg (grams)

Dry grams per cup (optional)

2. Label kcal/kg into kcal per cup

Many bags print only kcal/kg. Weigh one level cup of the kibble once, and the label figure becomes a cup figure.

kcal per cup = kcal/kg x grams per cup / 1,000 servings per day = (daily kcal - treat kcal) x share / kcal per serving grams per day = kcal for that food / kcal/kg x 1,000

Worked example

A vet asks for 220 kcal a day, and the cat gets 20 kcal of treats. That leaves 200 kcal for food. At 60% wet, 120 kcal comes from an 80 kcal can (1.5 cans) and 80 kcal from a 380 kcal/cup kibble (0.21 cups, about 21 g at 3,800 kcal/kg). A kitchen scale makes 21 g much easier to hit than a fifth of a cup.

Why grams beat cups

A "cup" of kibble can weigh 80 g or 120 g depending on its shape, and scooping adds another 10–20% error. Once you know the kcal/kg, weighing the daily portion removes both problems.

Questions

How do I convert kcal/kg to kcal per cup?

Weigh one level cup of the food in grams, multiply by the kcal/kg figure and divide by 1,000. For example, 3,600 kcal/kg x 100 g / 1,000 = 360 kcal per cup.

How many cans a day for 200 kcal?

Divide the daily target by the kcal per can. With an 80 kcal can, 200 / 80 = 2.5 cans a day. Subtract treat calories first.

How do I split calories between wet and dry food?

Decide the share of calories from wet food (for example 60%), multiply the daily target by that share for wet, and give the rest as dry. Then convert each part with its own label figure.

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Check with your vet. Every number here is an estimate copied from the manufacturer's published label data on the date shown. Recipes change, and labels are averages. If your cat is losing or gaining weight, has a medical condition or eats a prescription diet, ask your vet for a calorie target before you change portions.

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