Cat food calculator for wet and dry food: cans and cups per day

Mixed feeding can be a good routine for many households. Wet food adds moisture and often feels more satisfying. Dry food is convenient and easy to portion. The hard part is the math.

Why calories beat cans, cups and scoops

Wet food contains far more water than dry food. Cornell Feline Health Center notes that canned cat food has a moisture content of at least 75 percent, while dry food is much lower in water. That means a large-looking wet portion can still have fewer calories than a small-looking dry portion.

This is why BowlMath splits by calories first. Once the calories are assigned, it converts them into cans, grams or cups.

Example: a 70/30 wet and dry cat food split

Imagine your cat's food budget after treats is 220 kcal/day.

That's about 2 cans of wet food and a heaping 1/8 cup of dry food a day. The math uses the middle values in our label database, about 76 kcal per can and about 426 kcal per cup of dry food. Most cans are about 3 oz. If you know the gram weight per cup, BowlMath can also show grams.

When to use fixed wet first

Use fixed wet first when the wet food package is the real-world constraint. For example, maybe one pouch per day fits your budget and routine. Enter that fixed wet amount, then let BowlMath calculate the dry food that fits the remaining calories.

• Good for single-serve pouches.
• Good when your cat expects a certain wet meal.
• Good when you want less leftover opened wet food.

When to use fixed dry first

Use fixed dry first when your cat already gets a measured kibble amount, or when an automatic feeder dispenses dry food. Enter the fixed dry amount, then calculate the wet food that fits around it.

• Good for automatic feeders.
• Good for households where dry food is measured in grams.
• Good when wet food is the flexible part of the plan.

How many meals should the split become?

Cornell says adult cats can often be fed once or twice daily, while kittens usually need more frequent meals. Many owners still choose 2, 3 or 4 meals because it fits the cat and the household better. BowlMath breaks the daily result into those meal counts.