What’s the Best Food for Your Maine Coon? A Complete Feeding Guide

The Maine Coon is a social and gentle cat that is a popular choice for many households. Their playful and curious (and sometimes mischievous) nature gives them a kitten-like trait throughout their lives. They are also one of the largest domestic cat breeds, which is striking in appearance, but which also makes them prone to joint disease and other conditions. So despite their looks, the answer to the question “What do Maine Coon cats eat?” is not “everything.” Learn how to choose the right diet for your gentle giant.

Maine Coon Kitten Feeding

Feeding Maine Coon kittens a high-quality diet supports their growth and development. To know what to feed a Maine Coon kitten, look for a statement on the pet food label that says the diet meets “the nutritional levels established by the AAFCO [Association of American Feed Control Officials] Cat Food Nutrient Profiles for growth.” This ensures the food contains all the essential nutrients that your kitten needs. This is particularly important for Maine Coon kittens, because a diet with imbalances in calcium, phosphorus, vitamin D and vitamin A can exacerbate joint issues. Kitten food that is not complete and balanced should say it is for “intermittent or supplemental feeding only,” and these foods should only be fed occasionally.

When looking for the best food for Maine Coon kittens, you can also look for kitten food that contains fibers to promote gut health, antioxidants to support the immune system, DHA (a type of omega-3 fatty acid), vitamin A and taurine to support vision development and omega-6 fatty acids for a healthy, shiny coat.

Offering your Maine Coon kitten a variety of foods, including dry and wet food, can help to reduce picky behaviors by exposing them to different tastes, flavors and textures. Start introducing solid foods (moistened dry food and wet food) around 3-4 weeks of age. After your kitten is weaned, offer food several times a day. Cats are natural grazers and do well on multiple, small meals a day. Be careful with how much you’re feeding, though, as overfeeding will cause your Maine Coon kitten to be overweight, which can set them up to be an overweight or obese adult. So, monitoring growth rates and feeding to maintain a good body condition during kittenhood is essential.

Adult Maine Coon Feeding

Maine Coons are slow growing and reach full maturity around 3-5 years of age, although a large part of their growth is finished around 15-18 months. So, Maine Coon kittens can be transitioned onto an adult diet when they are 18-24 months of age. When feeding a Maine Coon, choose an adult diet suitable for your cat’s activity level and lifestyle.

Maine Coons have a higher rate of obesity compared to other cat breeds, so feeding lower-calorie diets, such as those made for indoor cats or a weight management cat food, can be helpful. In general, the best food for Maine Coons is made with high-quality proteins and taurine to support muscle mass and heart health, such as Purina Fancy Feast® Dry Cat Food with Savory Farm-Raised Chicken & Turkey. Other features to look for in an adult Maine Coon diet include ingredients to help with hairball management and that promote a healthy skin and coat.

To work out how much to feed a Maine Coon, a good place to start is by following the feeding guides on pet food labels or using a cat feeding calculator. Remember though, you will likely need to adjust the amount of food up or down from that starting point to individualize the amount for your cat. Do this by checking your cat’s body weight weekly or once every two weeks and adjusting their food as needed so they maintain a healthy weight.

You can weigh your cat at home using a bathroom scale or a baby scale. If using a bathroom scale, first weigh yourself holding your cat, and then subtract your own weight to work out your cat’s weight.

Senior Maine Coon Feeding

Maine Coons are considered seniors from 7-10 years and super seniors from 11+ years of age. These are critical time periods because of the behavioral and physical changes that occur when a cat ages. Cats begin to lose muscle (lean body mass) from 7 years of age, so when deciding what to feed a Maine Coon at this age, choose mature/senior diets that contain high amounts of quality, digestible proteins. Diets rich in EPA and DHA (types of omega-3 fatty acids) help to support joint function and improve mobility in aging cats. In addition, cognitive decline occurs in cats just as it does in people and dogs. So, look for diets that contain antioxidants, which can help maintain cognitive function. Calming supplements, such as Purina® PRO PLAN® Veterinary Supplements Calming Care Feline, can also be helpful in older cats experiencing anxiety. Finally, feeding wet foods helps increase hydration, which is important for kidney health and reduces the risk of constipation in your Maine Coon. Wet food is also easier to eat if your cat has dental disease or worn teeth.

General Health Considerations

Coat Health Through Proper Nutrition

Maine Coon kittens tend to have a thinner coat, whereas adult Maine Coons have a thicker, two-layered coat. A dull coat or thin and brittle fur can be one of the first signs of poor Maine Coon nutrition or a problem with the digestive tract. Ensuring your Maine Coon’s cat food is properly formulated for their life stage is important to help prevent nutrient deficiencies that can affect coat quality. Also, feeding a higher-fat diet and diets that are enriched in nutrients, such linoleic acid, a type of omega-6 fatty acid, can improve skin quality and help to maintain a shiny coat.

Promoting Urinary Health With Diet

Maine Coons can be prone to urinary issues. If your cat is showing urinary signs, such as needing to pee frequently, having accidents, or straining or yowling when peeing, or if there’s blood in the urine, take your cat for a checkup with their veterinarian. They may recommend changing your cat’s food to a high-moisture wet diet and/or a diet that is formulated to prevent crystal formation by modifying your cat’s urine pH and mineral concentration.

Healthy Digestion Through Proper Nutrition

Diet plays a big role in how well a cat digests and absorbs nutrients. Feeding a poorly digestible diet not only means fewer nutrients are absorbed, but more food enters the large intestine to be fermented by the gut bacteria. This can lead to larger, softer and smellier feces. Fiber also plays an important role in maintaining gut health and can help reduce hairballs and the risk of constipation. The best food for Maine Coons promotes good nutrient absorption and gut health.

Weight Management and Obesity Prevention Strategies

Maintaining a healthy weight for Maine Coons throughout life is important for their overall health and to reduce the risk of joint issues later in life. Body condition scoring (BCS) is a simple way to monitor their weight at home without needing a scale. Feeling the body of Maine Coons is the best method of assessing their BCS. Some cats also have primordial pouches, which is easily mistaken for belly fat. Adjust how much you’re feeding so they maintain a lean and healthy condition. Also, remember that spaying and neutering can increase the risk of weight gain, so reducing the amount of food fed after they recover from that surgery is recommended.

Adequate Hydration for Overall Well-Being

Deciding whether to feed your Maine Coon dry food or wet food should take hydration into account. Cats are not great drinkers and can easily become dehydrated. Water is needed for many bodily functions, including temperature regulation, digestion and toxin excretion. Therefore, always ensure you provide multiple fresh, clean water sources to encourage drinking, especially if you choose dry cat food for your Maine Coon. Feeding a high-moisture wet food, at least as part of the diet, can be a helpful way to increase water intake and is recommended for all cats. Feeding a high-moisture diet is particularly important for cats with urinary signs.

Veterinary Allies

If you have a Maine Coon that has urinary signs, is gaining or losing significant weight or that has digestive signs (vomiting and/or diarrhea), schedule your cat for a veterinary checkup. Depending on what is found, your cat’s veterinarian can advise on the best cat food for your Maine Coon, especially if your cat has any specific dietary needs.

Feeding Schedules and Techniques

Here are some additional tips when it comes to feeding Maine Coon cats:

• Feeding multiple, small meals 2-4 times a day is recommended for cats, because they are natural grazers. Using smart feeders can be a helpful way to provide meals to your cat when you’re at work.
• Some cats are free fed, meaning there is always dry food left out for them. This may be a convenient way to feed cats who self-regulate their intake well, but for many cats, unlimited access to food can lead to overeating and obesity.  
• Scheduled feeding is when your cat is fed a properly sized meal at certain times. Feeding this way allows for better portion control and tracking of your cat’s eating habits. By dividing the total amount of your cat’s food per day into smaller portions, you can feed the right amount while also satisfying your cat’s grazing instincts. This can even be done via an automatic feeder, which can be pre-programmed to dispense small amounts of food at specific times throughout the day in properly measured portions according to what you set.  
• When feeding dry food, use a cup that is clearly marked at the right level or a kitchen scale to correctly portion your cat’s diet. Eyeballing amounts can be wildly inaccurate and can lead to overfeeding your Maine Coon. Feeding charts and feeding guides can be useful in determining the right portion size.
• If your cat seems fussy about eating, it might be the food, or it might be the bowl. Some cats prefer flatter dishes for reasons like reducing whisker fatigue and accommodating their face shape better, so experiment to see what appeals to your cat.
• Treats should make up no more than 10% of a cat’s daily calories to avoid unbalancing their main diet and to avoid overfeeding by giving too many calories.
• Using puzzle feeders for at least a meal or two a day can help you provide enrichment for your Maine Coon. These feeders are also a great way to reduce the speed of eating in particularly greedy cats. There are different kinds of enrichment feeders for feeding dry vs. wet food and treats, so you can select ones that work for your cat’s diet.  
• Transition your Maine Coon’s food gradually to any new diet to reduce the risk of causing digestive upset. Do this over a 7- to 10-day period by gradually increasing the proportion of new food to the old food. Some cats resist anything new and will need longer transition periods to help them accept new diets.

For more expert tips on feeding your cat, explore our other cat feeding guides.