Royal Canin Feeding Guide Australia: How Much Should You Feed Your Dog or Cat?

Feeding your pet the right amount each day sounds simple, but in real life it often becomes confusing. Some pets are very food-motivated, some are less active after desexing, and many households do not feed just one product on its own. A proper Royal Canin feeding guide should take into account your pet’s body weight, age, lifestyle, activity level, and whether you are feeding dry food only or combining it with wet food, toppers, or treats.

This guide is written for everyday pet owners who want a clearer and more practical way to work out daily portions. If you are still choosing between formulas, you can browse our Royal Canin dog food and Royal Canin cat food collections to compare the available options. For official brand information, you can also visit the Royal Canin Australia website.

Why a Royal Canin Feeding Guide Matters

A feeding guide gives you a starting point, not a fixed rule. That is an important difference. Two pets of the same weight may still need different daily portions because their activity level, body condition, age, and lifestyle are not the same.

In many homes, overfeeding happens little by little. A full bowl of kibble may seem reasonable, but once treats, wet food, freeze dried toppers, or leftovers are added, total calories can rise quickly. Underfeeding can also be a problem, especially for growing pets or very active dogs. This is why portion control matters. A good feeding guide helps you start with the right daily amount and then adjust it based on how your pet actually looks and feels.

In simple terms, the goal is to feed enough to maintain a healthy body condition without slowly pushing your pet into weight gain.

How Royal Canin Feeding Guides Work

Most Royal Canin feeding charts are built around a few practical factors:

• Body weight – usually the starting point of the chart
• Activity level – especially important for dogs
• Body condition or lifestyle – such as indoor living or overweight tendency in cats
• Feeding format – dry food only or mixed feeding with wet food
• Life stage – puppy, kitten, adult, or senior
• Neuter status – often relevant for indoor and lower-activity pets

This is why the number on the bag is not just a random portion size. It is a practical estimate based on typical calorie needs. Royal Canin also provides an official feeding calculator, which can be useful when you want a more personalised daily recommendation.

As a general rule, the printed guide is where you begin. Your pet’s body condition is what tells you whether that amount is still right after a few weeks.

Royal Canin Dog Feeding Guide Example: Dry Food Only vs Mixed Feeding

Let’s use your dog feeding guide as a practical example. In this chart, 1 cup = 96g, and the daily amount changes depending on your dog’s ideal weight and activity level.

Example: 20kg adult dog on dry food only

• Low activity: 233g per day
• Moderate activity: 270g per day
• High activity: 307g per day

This is a good example of why body weight alone is not enough. A 20kg dog that spends most of the day indoors will not need the same amount as a 20kg dog that walks more, plays more, or has a naturally higher energy output.

Example: 20kg adult dog on mixed feeding

In the same guide, when feeding is combined with 1 can (410g) of Medium Adult Loaf, the dry food portion drops to:

• Low activity: 130g per day
• Moderate activity: 166g per day
• High activity: 203g per day

This makes an important point very clear: once wet food is added, the kibble amount should usually come down. Otherwise, you are no longer feeding “mixed feeding” in a balanced way. You are simply layering extra calories on top.

If you want to compare different formulas or formats, you can explore our Royal Canin dog food range for current options.

Royal Canin Cat Feeding Guide Example: Indoor Dry Food

Your cat feeding guide is another good example because it separates cats by ideal weight and overweight tendency. This is especially useful for indoor cats, which often need careful portion control.

Example: 4kg indoor cat on dry food only

• Ideal weight: 56g per day
• Overweight tendency: 44g per day

Example: 4kg indoor cat on mixed feeding with 1 pouch of Indoor Wet

• Ideal weight: 36g dry food per day
• Overweight tendency: 25g dry food per day

Again, the message is simple. Once wet food is included, the dry food amount needs to be reduced. Even though wet food contains more moisture and looks lighter in the bowl, it still adds calories to the day’s total intake.

If you are comparing indoor formulas, wet options, or daily feeding formats, you can also browse our Royal Canin cat food collection.

Mixed Feeding in Real Life: Royal Canin Dry Food + Wet Food + Air Dried or Freeze Dried Toppers

This is where everyday feeding often becomes more realistic than the back of a bag. Many pet parents do not feed just one complete diet on its own. A common routine may include:

• Royal Canin dry food as the main base
• a different brand of wet food for variety
• air dried food as a small booster
• freeze dried toppers for taste or reward

That approach can work well, but only if the total daily calories are still controlled. The easiest way to think about it is this: your pet has a daily calorie budget. Everything you feed needs to fit inside that budget.

So if your dog or cat needs a certain number of calories per day, those calories must include:

• dry food
• wet food
• air dried food
• freeze dried toppers
• treats

The most common mistake is to feed the full amount of Royal Canin dry food first, then add wet food or toppers on top without adjusting anything else. Over time, that often leads to slow and unnoticed weight gain.

A better approach is to:

1. estimate your pet’s daily calorie needs
2. check the calorie content of each product you are using
3. add those calories together
4. adjust each portion so the total stays balanced

For example, if your dog needs 650 kcal per day and you want to include 100 kcal of wet food and 50 kcal of freeze dried topper, then only 500 kcal should come from the kibble portion. This method is usually more accurate and much easier to adjust over time.

How to Calculate Daily Calories for Dogs and Cats

If you want a more tailored feeding plan, calorie calculation is often the most practical next step. This is especially helpful for mixed feeding, indoor pets, desexed pets, or pets that gain weight easily.

Step 1: Work out the RER

RER stands for Resting Energy Requirement. It is a baseline estimate of how many calories your pet needs at rest. Most owners do not need to calculate this every day, but it helps explain why two pets of the same size may still need different amounts of food.

A commonly used formula is:

RER = 70 × (body weight in kg)^0.75

For many pets in a normal weight range, another practical shortcut is:

RER = 30 × body weight in kg + 70

Step 2: Adjust for real life

RER is only the starting point. Real feeding is based on your pet’s full daily needs, often called DER or Daily Energy Requirement. This takes into account things like age, activity level, body condition, growth, and whether the pet has been desexed.

For example:

• an indoor desexed cat may need fewer calories
• a highly active dog may need more calories
• a puppy or kitten usually needs more energy for growth

In simple terms, feeding guides are really a way of converting calories into grams, cups, cans, or pouches. Once you understand that, mixed feeding becomes much easier to manage.

Simple example

Let’s say a dog weighs 10kg and, after adjusting for lifestyle, needs about 600 kcal per day. If the dry food you are feeding provides 360 kcal per 100g, then:

600 ÷ 3.6 = about 167g per day

If you then add 120 kcal of wet food, the dry food portion should be reduced so that the total daily calories still stay close to the original target.

Helpful tools and references:

• Royal Canin official feeding calculator
• Pet Obesity Prevention calorie calculator
• dvm360 guide to calculating portions for pets

Why Body Condition Matters More Than the Scoop

Even a well-designed feeding chart still needs to be checked against the pet in front of you. Some pets gain weight easily, while others stay lean on what seems like a generous ration. That is why body condition matters more than blindly following one number forever.

As a simple guide:

• you should be able to feel the ribs without pressing too hard
• the waist should still be visible from above
• the abdomen should not look heavy or sagging

If your pet is gaining too much weight, reduce the total calories gradually. If your pet looks too lean, increase the daily amount carefully and reassess. A practical check-in point is every 2 to 4 weeks, especially after changing diets or adding regular toppers.

How Often Should You Feed Your Dog or Cat?

Dogs

• Puppies: usually 3 to 4 meals per day depending on age
• Adult dogs: usually 2 meals per day

Cats

• many adult cats do well with 2 to 3 measured meals per day
• for cats that tend to overeat, scheduled meals are often easier to manage than free feeding

A regular feeding routine helps with digestion, appetite monitoring, and portion control. It also makes it easier to notice appetite changes early.

Common Feeding Mistakes Pet Parents Make

• using a rough scoop instead of weighing food in grams
• adding wet food or toppers without reducing kibble
• forgetting to count treat calories
• not adjusting portions after desexing or reduced exercise
• following the highest end of the feeding chart even when the pet is gaining weight
• changing foods without recalculating the total daily calories

If you want more accuracy, a digital kitchen scale is usually far better than relying on cups alone.

Should You Use the Bag Chart or a Calorie Calculator?

For many healthy pets eating one complete food only, the feeding guide on the bag is a very sensible place to begin. But if your pet is:

• desexed
• mostly indoors
• already overweight
• very active
• on mixed feeding
• getting regular toppers or treats

then a calorie-based approach is often more accurate. In those situations, use the bag guide as your starting point, then confirm the final amount using calories and body condition.

Quick Summary

• If feeding dry food only, start with the bag guide
• If feeding mixed meals, reduce the kibble amount
• If using wet food, toppers, or treats daily, count the calories together
• If unsure, use a feeding calculator and review body condition after 2 to 4 weeks

Where to Start if You Feel Unsure

If you are not sure where to begin, this is a simple order that works for most pet owners:

1. choose the right formula for your pet’s age and lifestyle
2. start with the printed feeding guide or Royal Canin calculator
3. measure in grams rather than guessing by eye
4. if you are mixed feeding, total all calories together
5. review your pet’s body condition after 2 to 4 weeks

This process is usually more reliable than copying another pet’s portion size or filling the bowl based on habit alone.

FAQs About the Royal Canin Feeding Guide

Final Thoughts

A useful Royal Canin feeding guide is not just about reading one number from the bag. It is about understanding how body weight, activity level, desexing, indoor lifestyle, wet food, toppers, and body condition all work together. For simple feeding routines, the printed guide may be enough to get started. For mixed feeding or pets that gain weight easily, a calorie-based approach is often the more practical option.

If you are comparing different feeding formats, you can explore our Royal Canin dog food and Royal Canin cat food collections, then use the Royal Canin feeding calculator as a practical next step.