How to Feed Your Maine Coon
Welcome to the wonderful world of Maine Coon ownership! To help your new cat live a long, healthy life, it's essential to provide the right nutrition. This guide cuts through the marketing fads to give you simple, science-backed advice for feeding your Maine Coon kitten or cat.
The Best Diet: A Mix of Wet and Dry Food
In the wild, cats eat prey that is high in protein, moderate in fat, and low in carbohydrates. Your Maine Coon's dietary needs are still based on these building blocks. They also require over a dozen other nutrients like vitamins, minerals, and amino acids. The easiest and safest way to meet these needs is with high-quality, commercially prepared cat foods. A combination of high-quality, lifestage (age) appropriate wet and dry food provides solid nutrition and is the best choice for your Maine Coon.
Wet food is a fantastic source of hydration. Cats are known for not drinking enough water, which can lead to urinary tract and kidney problems later in life. Canned food contains 75% or more moisture, helping to keep your cat properly hydrated. When choosing a wet food, ensure it is labeled as a complete meal, not just a "treat."
What We Feed Our Maine Coons
We feed our cats and kittens a consistent dry food diet and a rotating variety of the following high-quality canned foods to ensure they get balanced nutrition and don't get bored.
Dry Kibble:
- Royal Canin Maine Coon Kitten (12 weeks to 12 months)
- Royal Canin Maine Coon Adult (1 year and older)
Recommended Canned (Wet) Food:
- Royal Canin Kitten Loaf (12 weeks to 12 months)
- Royal Canin Maine Coon Slices in Gravy (1 year and older)
- Nulo Kitten
- Weruva Kitten Can Jam
- Instinct Rabbit Entree
- Reveal Chicken Variety Pack
- Purina ProPlan Kitten & Adult
Why We Don't Recommend Raw Food Diets
Feeding raw meat is a popular trend, but it is not recommended by us or the wider veterinary community.
Here’s why:
- Risk of Bacteria: Raw meat, even commercially prepared raw diets, can contain harmful bacteria like Salmonella and E. coli. These can cause severe illness, hospitalization, or even death in both pets and people.
- No Proven Benefits: There is no scientific evidence that raw diets lead to better health or shinier coats. Wild cats may eat raw prey, but they often have shorter lifespans and more health issues. We can do much better for our beloved pets.
- It's a Contractual Agreement: Our adoption agreement explicitly forbids feeding a raw diet. We have firsthand experience with how dangerously sick a kitten can get from a bacterial infection and want to protect our cats and your family from this risk.
With so many safe, nutritionally complete options available, the risks of feeding raw far outweigh any supposed benefits.