The maths, with your numbers
No guesswork and no brand chart. This is the same calculation a vet does on paper, so you can check it.
What this means for the bowl
Wellness CORE Grain-Free Original Turkey & Chicken is one of the more calorie-dense dry cat foods we track: at 497 kcal per cup it has more energy than 83% of the 55 dry cat foods in our list. You will pour less of it than you might expect.
To show how much the food matters: a 10 lb spayed or neutered cat needs about 261 kcal a day. That is ½ cup of this food, but ⅜ cup of Purina Pro Plan Kitten Complete Essentials Chicken & Rice and ⅞ cup of Kirkland Signature Healthy Weight. Same cat, same day, very different scoops.
A level 8 oz measuring cup holds about 125 g of this kibble. If you have kitchen scales, weighing is more accurate than scooping, because a heaped cup holds noticeably more than a level one.
Wellness CORE Grain-Free Original Turkey & Chicken feeding chart
Daily amounts for healthy adult cats with no treats, from the label calories and the AAHA 2021 energy factors. Split the amount into meals.
| Weight | Lazy indoor | Spayed or neutered | Intact |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 lb 2.3 kg | ¼ cup33 g | ¼ cup39 g | ⅜ cup46 g |
| 6 lb 2.7 kg | ¼ cup37 g | ⅜ cup45 g | ⅜ cup52 g |
| 8 lb 3.6 kg | ⅜ cup46 g | ½ cup56 g | ½ cup65 g |
| 10 lb 4.5 kg | ½ cup55 g | ½ cup66 g | ⅝ cup77 g |
| 12 lb 5.4 kg | ½ cup63 g | ⅝ cup75 g | ¾ cup88 g |
| 14 lb 6.4 kg | ⅝ cup70 g | ⅝ cup84 g | ¾ cup99 g |
| 16 lb 7.3 kg | ⅝ cup78 g | ¾ cup93 g | ⅞ cup109 g |
Label values: 497 kcal per cup, 3,977 kcal per kg. Source: mudbay.com, checked 18 Oct 2026.
Questions
How much Wellness CORE Grain-Free Original Turkey & Chicken should I feed a 10 lb cat?
About ½ cup or 66 g a day for a spayed or neutered cat, before treats. That is 261 kcal a day divided by the food’s label value. Use the calculator above to adjust for your pet.
How many calories are in Wellness CORE Grain-Free Original Turkey & Chicken?
The label states 497 kcal per cup, 3,977 kcal per kg (checked 18 Oct 2026). Recipes change, so check your bag.