How Much Does It Cost to Feed a Cat? The Real Cost Per Day

Cats are small, so you’d expect them to be cheap to feed. Sometimes they are. But a cat on dry food and a cat on all-wet food can have monthly food bills that differ by a factor of ten, even though both eat the same number of calories.

The reason is the same one that applies to dogs: the price on the bag or can isn’t what you actually pay. What matters is the cost per day. This guide shows how to work it out, what typical costs look like for wet, dry and mixed feeding, and how to keep the bill down without cutting corners on nutrition.

The formula

Cost per day = price ÷ (package weight ÷ daily amount)

Example: a $20 bag of dry food holds 2,500 g. Your cat eats 65 g a day, so the bag lasts about 38 days. That’s $20 ÷ 38 = about $0.52 per day, or roughly $16 a month.

Use the feeding guide on the package for your cat’s weight to find the daily amount, and weigh a day’s portion on a kitchen scale once, since scoops and cups vary a lot. If your cat is overweight or underweight, ask your vet what to aim for.

Why wet and dry cost so differently

Wet food is mostly water, so it holds fewer calories per gram. A cat needs a much larger weight of wet food than dry to get the same energy, and you pay for that weight. Dry food is calorie-dense, so the daily amount is small.

Here’s an illustration for a typical adult indoor cat of about 4 kg (9 lb), needing roughly 250 kcal a day. The calorie densities (dry about 3.8 kcal/g, wet about 1 kcal/g) and the prices per kg are rough assumptions for illustration. Check the real figures on the food you’re considering.

Feeding style	Daily amount	Price assumption	Cost per day	Cost per month
Budget dry	~65 g	~$4/kg	~$0.26	~$8
Mid-range dry	~65 g	~$8/kg	~$0.52	~$16
Premium dry	~65 g	~$14/kg	~$0.91	~$27
Mid-range wet (all wet)	~250 g	~$12/kg	~$3.00	~$90
Premium wet (all wet)	~250 g	~$20/kg	~$5.00	~$150
Mixed (half the calories dry, half wet)	~33 g dry + ~125 g wet	$8/kg dry, $12/kg wet	~$1.76	~$53

Energy needs vary with age, weight, activity and neutering status, so treat these as examples, not feeding advice. A larger cat (around 6 kg) will eat roughly a quarter to a third more.

A few things stand out. Dry food is usually the cheapest per day by a wide margin. An all-wet diet can cost many times more, and premium wet most of all. Mixed feeding sits in the middle and is how many owners get the benefits of wet food without the full cost.

Wet, dry or mixed: what about nutrition?

The cheapest option isn’t always the best fit, and the dearest isn’t always better. Some points worth knowing:

• Cats are obligate carnivores. They need a diet built for them. Don’t feed dog food as a regular diet.
• Moisture matters. Cats often don’t drink much, and wet food can add to their water intake. This is often discussed in relation to urinary health, so ask your vet about your own cat, especially if they’ve had urinary problems.
• Dry food is convenient and affordable, but it’s low in moisture. It’s a sound choice for many healthy cats, and some owners add water or offer a fountain.
• Whatever you choose, it must be “complete and balanced” for your cat’s life stage, such as kitten or adult. Our guide to reading a pet food label shows where to find that statement.

You’ll find our overviews for each type on the dry food, fresh food, raw food and air-dried food pages. Fresh, raw and air-dried options usually cost more per day than dry, and raw diets carry food-safety risks, so talk to your vet before choosing one.

Costs people forget to count

• Treats. They add calories and cost, so count them in your cat’s daily food.
• Special diets. Prescription diets for kidney, urinary, digestive or weight problems often cost more than standard food.
• Litter and extras. Not a food cost, but cats on higher-moisture diets can produce more urine, which may affect litter use.
• Multi-cat homes. Costs multiply, and picky eaters can mean some food gets wasted.
• Waste. A big bag that goes stale, or opened cans that spoil, cost more than the right size would have.

How to lower the bill without cutting quality

1. Compare cost per day, not price per can or bag. A cheap can of low-calorie wet food can cost more per day than it looks.
2. Mix wet and dry if all-wet is out of budget. Count the calories from both, and reduce the dry portion when you add wet.
3. Buy a size you’ll finish while it’s fresh. Store dry food sealed, in a cool, dry place. Refrigerate opened wet food and use it within the time on the label.
4. Feed the right amount. Overfeeding wastes money and contributes to weight gain, which is common in cats and brings its own vet costs.
5. Don’t skimp on completeness. Make sure the food says “complete and balanced” for your cat’s life stage.
6. Switch gradually over about a week, mixing the new food with the old. Cats can be fussy, and sudden changes can upset their stomachs.

If your cat stops eating for more than a day or so, or is losing weight, contact your vet. A cat that won’t eat can become seriously ill quickly.

Final thoughts

The right cat food is complete and balanced for your cat’s life stage, appeals to your cat, and fits your budget every month. Work out the cost per day, think about the mix of wet and dry that suits your cat and your wallet, and check with your vet if your cat has health needs. When our first reviews go live, you’ll see how each brand scores on our How we review method.

Frequently asked questions