Have you ever heard of a cat food calculator or something that can denote your pet cat’s nutritional state? If you are a cat parent & maintain all things about your pet, you may know it, but the article is for you if you’re not.
I have always believed that proper nutrition is a right of any creature, not only humans; therefore, I have taken care of my cat’s everything like I was supposed to do for my child. That’s why I always check my cat’s health & how much calories he’s getting from a calculator.
However, let’s see what this calculator is, how does it work, & other related things; that will be useful for cat parents.
What Is a Cat Food Calculator?
A cat food calculator helps you know how much food your cat should eat & it needs different inputs, such as your cat’s age, physical activity, body weight, etc. Thus, you can have the exact measurement of how many grams of food your cat needs, or sometimes how much calories it needs per gram of body weight.
It’s nothing different from a human food or calorie calculator & works the same; the results & inputs are slightly different.You don’t have to buy any calculation device to get accurate results; you can find some suitable cat calorie calculator online.
You can check the different results on various online calculators & follow the mean value; that would be appropriate because no calculator shows the exact outcome.
How to Use a Cat Food Calculator?
It would help if you learned how to use cat food calculators because that’s when you can correctly measure everything & ensure your pet is healthy; let’s see the steps of using that.
- First of all, you will be asked your cat’s life span or stage; for instance, your pet can be a kitten or an adult cat. A kitten’s food is not similar to an adult cat because kittens need milk to survive, whereas adult cats don’t need them.
Moreover, kittens are sensitive to many foods & the quantity will be less than the adult cats; that’s why the life stage is a necessary thing to consider or input.
- Next, you have to input your cat’s physical activity; for instance, your cat can be normal or super active, or it can be lazy. Therefore, you should choose the food items according to the cat’s activity & body movement.
- Thirdly, you should insert your cat’s body weight because that calculates how much protein & calories your pet needs according to its body weight; moreover, you can also find out if your cat has an ideal body weight or it’s obese.
- Well, some calculators have the function to measure the calories from cat food items; therefore, you can have ideas about which food you should feed your pet cat & how much.
These calculators sometimes have percentages in their features because they sometimes measure obesity, ideal body weight, or extra calorie intake in rate. That’s why it’s up to you which calculator you will choose & find out all the measurements you need for a cat’s health.
Why Is a Cat Food or Calorie Calculator Necessary?
Many of you ask that we give our cats food based on assumption & that seems to be okay; then why we should use a cat food calculator. Let’s see why do you need to calculate your cat’s food, calories, & nutritional status:
- You need to check if your pet is under or over-nourished because both of these situations are bad for your pet. If the cat eats less than the requirement, it is terrible for the cat because it will get malnourished & many diseases due to poor nutrition will show up.
On the other hand, overeating or over nutrition can make your cat obese, which is also bad for your pet & create health hazards. The food calculator will help you to maintain your pet’s ideal body weight.
- You may also calculate which cat food contains how much nutrients; that’s how you can plan your cat’s menu & give it a balanced diet. Eating less than the requirement will create deficiencies & overeating may cause other side effects.
- You can also use this calculator to measure how many calories you should add or deduct from your cat’s diet.
- Some online cat food calculator scan also suggests you the micro or macro nutrient ratio in an adult cat’s daily diet; those are from advanced level & pet food manufacturers often use it. Any cat parent does not need it urgently, but anybody can use the online version.
Please remember that proper nutrition is necessary for all & that’s why you should use a pet food calculator if you have any; it can be a dog, fishes, birds, etc.
If you are using a standard food calculator for all pets, you will have the option to mention the species of yours; you have to choose cat among all other options & proceed further to calculate calories because the rest are almost the same.
Frequently Asked Questions
1.How Much Calorie Does an Adult Cat Need?
An adult cat needs calories based on its activity &body weight, but the average requirement is 240 calories per day. Please ensure that your pet is getting that from both dry & wet foods.
2.How Much Cat Food Should I Give to My Pet?
No matter how much your cat’s complete requirement is (20-30 calories per pound), 30% of the total calorie should be coming from dry cat food & the rest should be homemade & wet food.
3.Can I Leave Food for My Cat at Night?
Yes, you may leave little food for your pet cat in case it gets hungry, but the food has to be dry because wet food will quickly get spoiled.
Conclusion
A cat food calculator is an essential item if you have a cat in your house, but you don’t have to spend money for that because they are available online. You have to remember that only a trusted website can deliver accurate results when it’s necessary.
However, use the calculator well, feed your cat correctly, &take care of other things to pet a cat well. No matter whatever problem you face, you must consult a veterinarian even if it’s related to diet.
