The best cat food for Maine Coon cats leaves their coats shiny, ears tufty and paws ready to knead your knee in happy affection. Although large kittens, they thrive on good quality standard cat food brands just as well as those that claim to cater to their unique features. Today I’ll share some awesome high protein, low carb options for their different life stages.
Contents
- Unique food for unusual cats
- Kibble brands for big breeds
- Wet canned food in gravy
- Allergy specific options
- Feeding your Maine Coon kitten
Do Maine Coons Need Special Cat Food?
For the most part, an adult Maine Coon cat will weigh 9 to 12 pounds (for females) and 13 to 18 pounds (for males). This cat breed can look quite a bit heavier than their actual body weight because of their thick fur, which gets even thicker when their winter coat grows in annually. But their large size doesn’t mean they will need more food, or a special brand.
What Should Be On The Ingredients List?
The new dietary guidelines for cats indicate growing kittens should be fed a food with a minimum protein content of 30 to 45 percent and for adult cats on a maintenance diet, the minimum protein content should be 26 to 40 percent. These levels also need to be adjusted for different life stages, activity levels and pregnancy.
Cats can’t make their own vitamin A, vitamin D, taurine, and arachidonic acid, and so they often need dietary supplementation here. They also need supplemental arginine, niacin and vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) as well as a sufficient quantity of healthy fats.
Natural Servings
Cats will eat up to 20 small meals daily in a free-feed situation, with an average calorie content per meal of around 23 to 35 calories, depending on size, lifestyle and life stage. Veterinarians state that this meal size is very reflective of how the pet cat’s wildcat ancestor, Felis silvestris libyca, would have taken in energy in the wild through hunting small wild prey. In other words, 30 calories per serving of cat food is about how much useful energy a wildcat would derive from catching and eating one small mouse h
On average, one piece of dry cat kibble includes about 3 calories of energy. In a straight mouse-to-kibble conversion, this would mean your adult cat should consume no more than 10 to 15 pieces of dry cat kibble per meal.
Maine Coon Kibble
Dry food, or kibble, is an important part of a Maine Coon cat’s diet. Kibble is a suitable food to leave out for free-feed meals, since it will stay safely fresh for far longer than canned or Maine coon wet food. Regular access to Maine coon dry food like these choices can also help keep your cat’s teeth and gums cleaner and reduce the risk of dental disease.
ROYAL CANIN Maine Coon dry cat food.
This Royal Canin Maine Coon food* features a larger king size kibble that encourages your square-jawed feline to chew more. It is packed with antioxidants, vitamins and minerals to nourish your cat on the inside and the outside.
Hill’s Science Diet Indoor Dry Cat Food.
You can choose from four blends*: kitten, adult, adult 7-11 and adult 11+. This gives you the option of choosing a food that is calorically tailored to your cat’s activity level and life stage.
Purina ONE Indoor Adult Premium Cat Food.
This vet-recommended food* offers 42 grams of protein per 1,000 calories, plus plenty of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals for your cat’s overall health. Best of all, the kibble is designed to help clean your cat’s teeth and gums.
Best wet cat food for Maine Coon cats
Wet cat food adds a valuable nutritional component to your Maine Coon cat’s daily diet, and it can also be a source of pure culinary delight, since wet food more closely mimics the moisture balance found in live prey. These Maine Coon wet food recipes get four paws up from cats and Main coon cat food reviews also show they get high marks from cat owners.
Purina Pro Plan Wet Adult Weight Management
This protein and fat-balanced recipe* is designed to help support your cat to stay at a healthy weight while supporting the feline immune system.
“I and love and you” All-Natural Canned Cat Food
This wet cat food* is all natural and offers a choice of turkey, chicken, salmon, beef and rabbit recipes. The recipes feature sweet potato in place of grains and there are no thickeners added.
Maine Coon kitten food
Finding the best food for Maine coon kittens should include both dry and wet Maine Coon cat food that is specifically designed to meet the nutrient and energy needs of kittens. Kittens expend more energy than adult cats because they are growing and developing so fast. They also need more of certain nutrients than adult cats do. When in doubt, always ask your veterinarian for guidance!
ROYAL CANIN Kitten dry cat food
This Royal Canin dry kitten food* is designed to support your kitten’s still-developing digestive, immune and dental systems. The kibble bits are smaller than for an adult cat so your kitten can chew it easily.
Royal Canin Feline Health Nutrition Kitten Instinctive
What about Royal Canin Feline Instinctive*? It is always a good practice to feed both dry kibble and wet cat food to your growing kitten. This Royal Canin wet canned food goes very well with the same-brand dry kibble listed here.
Hill’s Science Diet Kitten Minced Cat Food
This wet kitten food* is packed full of lean protein and minced so your kitten can eat it easily. You can choose from three recipes: chicken and liver, salmon or turkey.
Hill’s Science Diet Indoor Dry Cat Food for Kittens
This kitten-specific dry food* includes prebiotics and fiber along with a full complement of vitamins and minerals to build immune system and digestive health.
Dealing With Food Allergies
Nothing feels worse than watching your hungry Maine Coon cat wolf down her dinner, only to later experience discomfort instead of nourishment. These dry cat food recipes feature a limited ingredient menu. This can help to isolate specific food allergies and ease digestive sensitivities.
Purina Beyond Natural Dry Cat Food
This limited ingredient Maine coon dry food* is free from known allergens like soy, wheat and corn, artificial ingredients, preservatives and poultry by-products.
Natural Balance Limited Ingredient Dry Cat Food
You can choose from three recipes*: green pea and chicken, green pea and duck or green pea and salmon. The limited ingredient recipes are also grain-free to help ease issues such as sensitive stomach and food allergies.
Instinct Limited Ingredient Diet Grain Free Recipe Dry Cat Food
This limited ingredient cat food* comes in two recipes: rabbit or turkey. It uses green tea extract, a natural anti-oxidant, as the kibble coating. This food also partners with Best Friends Animal Society to deliver meals to its rescued cats.
Wet Food For Allergies
When your Maine Coon cat is struggling with allergies or sensitive digestion issues, it can be challenging to find a good wet cat food that can support him through the difficulties. These wet cat food recipes are designed to be palatable, nutritionally balanced, free from artificial ingredients and easy to digest.
Royal Canin Feline Health Nutrition Digest Sensitive
This popular and highly rated Royal Canin Maine Coon wet food* comes in a 6, 12, or 24-pack case. The limited ingredient recipe is based on a nutrient-balanced formula to reduce food allergies and allergic reactions in cats.
Hill’s Science Diet Sensitive Stomach & Skin
This potential Maine Coon cat food* is free from artificial ingredients and preservatives and designed to be easy to digest. You can choose from chicken and vegetable or tuna and vegetable.
Halo Holistic Wet Cat Food for Sensitive Stomachs
This sensitive stomach wet cat food* features whole meat, all natural and grain free, non-GMO recipes with extra hydration to help with sensitive digestive systems.
Affiliate link disclosure: Links in this article marked with an * are affiliate links, and we may receive a small commission if you purchase these products. However, we selected them for inclusion independently, and all of the views expressed in this article are our own.
I just became aware that the kitten I was given as a friendly gesture is a Maine Coon kitten. She is between 4-6mos old. I’ve read your article about good food, and I have always given both kibble and wet food to my cats, but since MC cats can have weight issues, as a kitten, how much wet food shoukd she have per feeding? As of now, I only give her about 1/4th of a 6 Oz can, only once a day.
main coon kittens need a lot of nutrition! if youre feeding wet food, you dont need to worry about her being overweight till shes 18 months. feed as much wet food as she wants and once she reaches 18 months, calculate the calories she needs based on her weight
Main Coon cats have a higher risk of gum and tooth disease. Everything I have read on Maine Coons is they must have more dry then wet. Unless you make good money then you can afford the vet visits.
My Maine Coon will hardly eat wet food. I tend to drizzle homemade organic chicken stock over the top of his food, but not every feeding. This way the moisture level is increased. Allowing their liver and kidneys to function better.
I have a Maine coon cat that has dry skin what kind of cat food should I give her
try adding salmon oil to her food!
My Maine Coon loves IAM’s naturals. Unfortunately, I can no longer find it in my local stores. He seems to have lost his undercoat recently. Maybe the food change is why?
My main coon have a high Riboflavin blood count.what must i feed him now?he is 8years old.
My Mainecoon may vomit directly after eating and this is now once a day. He is 4 and a half years old, and I feed him skin sensitive and non-allergenic dry and wet foods. His recent blood test indicates a slightly inflamed gut and I would assume because he vomits daily, yet I am not sure about that. Also, I’ve observed he seems to gulp air while swallowing a mouthful of food. His stools are normal. I leave dry food out during the day and I feed him wet food morning and night. I am wondering if the gulping of air with every mouthful may be causing him to vomit directly after eating but again, I’m not sure if this is the cause. I am very concerned about him. Given all the details, what do you suggest may be his problem?
Its hard to advise since i dont know what type of food hes on now, but i would suggest trying a larger kibble size (something like the royal canin maine coon dry food) and a high protein (at least 37%) wet food watered down to a soupy consistency so he has to lap it up. If he is just eating quickly and swallowing air this could stop him
My maincoon did this also . I switched to grain free or gluten free . He has not had this issue since
How long should a MC kitten stay on a kitten diet being that they takes longer for them to fully develop?
My boys have kitten kibble free feed and get a portion of canned AM/PM.
at least till 18 months, i kept mine till 20
Experts suggest keeping them on kitten food until a minimum of at least 18 months of age but preferably 2 years of age
I was given a Maine Coon cat that the family wanted to rehome. I saw a picture of the cat and it looked like a regular tuxedo cat. Once I took him out of his carrier and looked at him I realized he was a Maine coon and they thought he was just fat and put him no low calorie food. Now I have him and feeding the rest of that dry food and wet food that I do not think he had before. Now he loves the wet food and reluctantly eats some dry. He has starting to bite me when I am in the kitchen and he wants more wet food. What should i do?
Get a squirt bottle
I’m getting a Maine coon kitten in February. So is it ok to feed him just dry or has it got to be wet and dry? Also how much
Thanks Tracy
My MC had a reaction to a flea collar causing extreme sudden weight loss. He’s 12 years old and at the vet weighed 11 pounds. The vet didn’t seem as concerned as I was with his weight and said to put him on low protein senior food (since senior cats can’t process high protein leading to kidney disease, so he said). I look at my baby and see his bones. I need to fatten him up just a little ASAP. What are some good options?
Thanks!
I have a 5 month old kitten I’ve had for 3 weeks
He constantly worries for food I’m feeding him 5-6 sachets of wet food a day (Hilife perfection)
And go cat kitten biscuits
His stools are runny and he goes at least 8-10 times a day
He is alert and playful but I am concerned this it isn’t right
What food would you recommend
Thanks
Nicki, I feel you should visit a Veterinarian as soon as possible for the health of your kitten.
I have a Maine Coon Kitten 4 months old now born March 12 2021. He eats two times a day mixed wet (1/2 can) and a 1/2 cup each of two dry (Purina Kitten Chow & Blue Buffalo High Protein Kitten). He eats the wet food right away (Fancy Feast for Kittens & Adult Cats) and he eats the mixed 1 cup of dry whenever he feels like it – usually his plate is empty every 12 hours.
He has been to the vet for his first check up at 3 months and he checked out to be in 100% good health.
Hi recently got a precious girl Luna who is a mainecoon. The breeder was feeding her a raw diet of rabbit. Is this raw food bad for her. I’m now transitioning her to kibble. I tried royal canin but she refused it now she’s eating hills kitten. Is this brand good for her.
adopted main coon kitty now 8 months old doesn’t eat much wet food. what do you recomend
I have a 16 month Maine Coon/Persian cross cat that we have had since a 7 week old kitten.
He likes dry food and always liked wet Purina pate food in a variety pack of various chicken Turkey or fish. He liked most. He suddenly quit eating it and now I’ve tried just about all available wet food. He does not like any, but will eat cooked chicken etc if I feed him homemade chicken etc, what else do I need to add to make sure he is getting everything he needs to be healthy?