Maine Coons, the giants of the cat world, are as cuddly and lovable as a teddy bear, but their dietary requirements are second to none. What should Maine Coon cats eat?
Maine Coon cats are large and require a lot of protein to fuel their daily activity. As such, they need a balanced diet of meat, fish, dry food, and wet food to meet their needs.
Maine Coons need a combination of all of these foods in order to thrive, and you want to avoid both over and underfeeding your Maine Coon. Each individual cat is slightly different, but the rest of this article will help you learn what Maine Coon cats eat.
How Much Should a Maine Coon Cat Eat?
The average adult Maine Coon cat can eat three ounces of dry food or nine ounces of wet food in a day. Due to their larger size, Main Coons require more food than other cat species. For the average adult, that translates to between 55 and 70 grams of dry food, or 50 grams of mixed food.
What Should Maine Coon Cats Eat?
There’s a lot of controversy surrounding what cats in general should eat and what diet is best suited to them. Some people prefer a dry-only feeding schedule, others do a mix of wet and dry, and some advocate for a raw foods diet.
Regardless of what side of the camp you settle on, you should stick to a range of high-quality foods that contains the essential nutrients a cat needs—that means no empty calories and nutritionally starved foods like Meow Mix (sorry). In general, a cat needs a balance of the following:
- Proteins and other essential amino acids
- Carbs
- Fats and fatty acids
- Vitamins and minerals
Protein is by far the most important, especially for a large cat, but be sure you opt for a cat food that includes proper protein sources as opposed to protein byproducts.
Dry Food vs. Wet Food
Both dry and wet foods have their advantages. Dry food is very easy to prepare and encourages a cat to use their teeth, while wet food has a level of moisture.
In the wild, cats get a lot of their water requirements from the food they eat, so having food with a good amount of moisture is important to maintain proper kidney function. Of course, kitties should be fed a specialized kitten formula.
Maine Coon cats take longer to mature than other species of cat, so it might be worth keeping your Maine Coon on kitty food for up to 9 months.
In any event, the best resource you can utilize for making sure your cat has a healthy, balanced diet is to consult your vet and get their recommendations. Tell them what you’re feeding your cat and seek their advice on the best diet for your feline friend.
Watch your cat’s weight as well to tweak their food intake. The accepted size standard ranges from 11-25 pounds, with the males being larger than the females.
