The Best Cat Food for Maine Coon 2024 – Should You Buy Breed Specific Cat Food?

What’s the best cat food for Maine Coon cats? That is the topic for this article.

Baby lions or giant wild cats – these are the common first impressions when one sees a fully-grown Maine Coon cat sporting their winter coat for the first time.

And it’s not surprising, because they do look the part. It’s also for this reason, that many first-time Maine Coon cat owners assume that their cat needs a special diet. But, do they really need it?

Maine Coon is indeed the largest cat breed, but they are already domesticated. Hence, that makes them the largest of all the domesticated cat breeds, and one of the most popular felines in the United States.

Maine coon cats eat just like other domestic cats. And since they are obligate carnivores, their food should be packed with high-quality animal protein for them to get most of the essential nutrients that their body needs to stay in prime condition every day.

Do Maine Coons Need to Eat More Than Other Cats?

Just because they are naturally large cats doesn’t mean that you have to feed your Maine Coon cats significantly bigger portions of pet foods than an average cat.

With their size, it would indeed help to give them a little bit more than your smaller indoor cats, but giving them huge portions regularly can simply put them at risk for feline obesity. We’re sure you don’t want your gentle giant feline companion to be a diabetic cat eventually.

So, to prevent any weight-related complications in the future, it’s best to simply follow the feeding recommendations given by your vet or the feeding recommendation based on your cat’s age and weight, which is often found at the back of your cat food’s label.

Also, Maine Coons are huge cats because of their bone structure and their thick fur, which even gets thicker during winter as they prepare for the cold weather.

Another important consideration when feeding Maine Coon cats is that it would take two to five years for them to reach their full adult weight.

First time Maine Coon pet parents might find the need to feed their cat more so he would get bigger the soonest time possible, but this isn’t healthy. As mentioned earlier, this would only lead to feline obesity, diabetes, and many other health issues.

What’s the Proper Diet for Maine Coon Cats?

Maine Coons have been domesticated for centuries, but even if they no longer hunt for food like their ancestors in the wild, they still need to eat foods that will satisfy their innate desire to eat fresh meats.

That being said, you don’t have to put them on an exclusive wet food diet, though, because even dry cat foods can have real meats. And besides, cats also benefit from munching on dry cat food as this is good for their dental health.

Just make sure, to always have fresh and clean drinking water ready for your feline buddy at all times. You might also want to purchase a cat fountain to encourage him to drink.

Above all, what’s most important with your Maine Coon’s diet is that it should be rich in protein, low in carbohydrates, and with additional vitamins, minerals, and fatty acids.

And once again, pay special attention not to overfeed your gentle giant to maintain a healthy weight and avoid complications.

Hip dysplasia is one of the common health issues with Maine Coon cats that are associated with their humongous size.

Hence, it is important to keep him at his recommended weight range for his age and size to prevent painful and debilitating complications in the future.

10 Best Cat Food for Maine Coon Cats

1. The Honest Kitchen Dehydrated Homemade Food
2. Royal Canin Maine Coon
3. Iams ProActive Health Indoor Weight & Hairball Care
4. Hill's Science Diet Adult Perfect Weight Chicken Recipe
5. Royal Canin Feline Breed Nutrition Maine Coon Thin Slices In Gravy
6. Purina Fancy Feast Poultry and Beef Grilled Collection
7. Royal Canin Maine Coon Kitten Formula
8. Blue Buffalo Wilderness Kitten Chicken Recipe
9. Natural Balance L.I.D. Green Pea & Duck Formula
10. Instinct LID Pate Real Turkey Recipe

1. The Honest Kitchen Dehydrated Homemade Food

Honest Kitchen’s dehydrated food range for cats are made by dehydrating a mix of human-grade ingredients such as meat, fruits, and vegetables. This dry blend can then be reconstituted with water for each mealtime to create a tasty feast for your feline buddy.

What’s great about this line is that the foods are minimally processed. You might think that the opposite is true, but it’s not. And since the dehydration process is gentle, most of the nutrients are preserved so your cat gets a complete and balanced meal with all of his vitamin, mineral, and antioxidant requirements met.

Because you control the water measurements, you can choose to turn your cat’s food into either a pate (thicker consistency), a gravy (medium consistency), or into a soup meal (thin consistency). And like kibble, it’s easy to portion out sizes so you only get as much as you need.

For the first week, you can notice your cat becomes more energetic and excited during mealtime. By the second week, you will see smaller stools and smell better breath. By the third week, you’ll notice less shedding and a silkier coat.

You can expect to reach your cat’s ideal body weight by the third week, and by the ninth week onwards, you will notice that his overall health has greatly improved. 

2. Royal Canin Maine Coon 

Maine Coons command a majestic presence and jaw-dropping allure, but even their genes need some help in sustaining these unique feline attributes.

Looking great requires a lot of work and a healthy and well-balanced diet that meets the nutritional requirements of these giant cats.

Royal Canin Maine Coon Dry Food is a specially formulated protein-rich diet perfect for your cat’s lustrous long coat, joint health, and healthy digestion.

It is packed with Taurine, DHA, and EPD to support your cat’s cardiac health, and it’s fortified with vitamins and minerals, such as Vitamin E, B vitamins, niacin, zinc, potassium, manganese, and a lot more.

It also has a fiber blend that contains dried beet pulp to help reduce hairballs, which are a major problem during the shedding season.

Additionally, Maine Coons can weigh as much as 24 pounds or even more, and such body weight can cause immense pressure to their joints.

Factor in their playful nature to their size, these giant cats really need extra bone and joint support – good thing that this dry food is packed with omega-3 fatty acids, glucosamine, and chondroitin sulfate that all help in promoting strong bones and joints for this large breed cat.

Also, considering the huge mouth of Maine Coons, you are right to think that they could easily swallow small kibbles without chewing them, which can put them at risk for indigestion.

Royal Canine Maine Coon got that covered by using large “Emerald 10” size kibble perfect for the large square shape jaw of these big cats. And not only that, but the size of its kibbles would also encourage chewing to make their jaws even stronger.

3. Iams ProActive Health Indoor Weight & Hairball Care

Nourish your cat to help them reach their full potential by providing them with a great diet. And you can achieve this with Iams Proactive Health Indoor Weight and Hairball Care dry cat food.

This irresistibly crunchy kibble is made up of real chicken, chicken meal, and turkey that helps maintain strong muscles.

This special formula is crafted with L-carnitine to help burn fat and support a healthy metabolism, which are two important health considerations with big indoor cats.

This recipe also contains a proprietary fiber blend with dried beet pulp to help reduce hairballs all year round.

Additionally, this premium cat food contains taurine to support cardiac health. And it is enriched with vitamins, minerals, and essential fatty acids to promote a beautiful and healthy coat and ensure your cat’s health is in prime condition at all times.

This recipe is also free from fillers and is recommended by veterinarians. Your Maine Coon will definitely love the perfect blend of natural flavor and nutrients in these crunchy and tasty kibbles.

4. Hill's Science Diet Adult Perfect Weight Recipe

Maine Coons take years to fully reach their adult weight and size, so it’s important that Maine Coon pet parents stay informed about this attribute unique to this large cat breed.

Pet owners who are not aware of this can unknowingly overfeed their kittens believing that their cat needs to eat more to grow faster. Hence, weight-related issues can slowly start even at an early age.

And that’s why a special diet like this with the perfect blend of ingredients to support healthy weight and lean muscles is important for Maine Coons.

Hill’s Science Diet Perfect Weight for Adult Cats is rich in protein, and it contains L-carnitine to burn fats and to promote a healthy metabolism.

This recipe is perfect for indoor Maine Coon cats, and for mature ones that are no longer as active as when they were younger. For health reasons, cats living under these conditions need to eat fewer calories.

And this premium cat food is crafted especially for that purpose, while also ensuring that each kibble is packed with nutrients that can provide them with complete and balanced nutrition.

Hill’s Science Diet is also made in the USA, so you are assured that every ingredient meets strict requirements for purity and nutrient content.

This recipe is also fortified with vitamins, minerals, and clinically proven antioxidants to support your cat’s immune system and overall health and wellness.

It’s made from high-quality and natural ingredients without artificial flavors, colors, preservatives, and chicken by-product meals.

And though this dry cat food isn’t a breed-specific diet for Maine Coons, it is still packed with the essential nutrients that can provide your cat with a complete and balanced diet for a lifetime of health and happiness.     

5. Royal Canin Feline Breed Nutrition Maine Coon Thin Slices In Gravy

If you are looking for wet food that is specially formulated for pedigreed Maine Coon Cats over 15 months old, then Royal Canin Feline Breed Nutrition is the one you are looking for. It’s made using the nutritional expertise of Royal Canin, and the first-hand experience of breeders.

The recipe is crafted with ingredients to target the major concerns in purebred Maine Coon Cats: feline obesity, bone, and joint health issues, and shedding problems.

As the tallest and largest domestic cats, Maine Coons need extra bone and joint support. On top of that, they are also playful and full of energy, so they can easily suffer from injuries if they are not eating a nutrient-dense diet.

Hence, this premium cat food is enriched with omega fatty acids, glucosamine, and chondroitin to promote stronger bones and joints.

It also contains L-carnitine to help burn fats and promote good metabolism for healthier body weight. Maine Coons are also known for their thick and long coat, especially during winter.

So, to keep their skin and coat healthy all the time, this cat food formula is also fortified with vitamins, and omega-3 and 6 fatty acids.

6. Purina Fancy Feast Poultry and Beef Grilled Collection

Treating your Maine Coon to a tasty, and moisture-rich wet food once in a while can be helpful to add variation to their diet.

And if you are looking for nutrient-dense and flavorful canned food that won’t put a hole in your pocket, you should consider Purina Fancy Feast Cat Food.

It’s available in different flavors, and you can also purchase a variety pack with 24 cans. Their Poultry & Beef Grilled Collection features 24 3-ounce cans of their three recipes: Chicken Feast in Gravy, Turkey Feast in Gravy, and Beef Feast in Gravy.

Each can is portioned to be complete and balanced nutrition for adult cats featuring tender, slow-cooked tasty cuts that are sure to please your gentle giants.

7. Royal Canin Maine Coon Kitten Formula

They might be young but Maine Coon kittens have jaws larger than fully-grown cats with average size. And that’s why Royal Canin Maine Coon for Kittens isn’t only packed with the essential nutrients for this age group.

It also features a unique square-shaped kibble with the perfect size and texture for Maine Coon Kittens’ large and strong jaws.

The kibbles also encourage chewing to keep their jaws even stronger while also promoting good dental health through the brushing motion of the kibbles to their teeth.

This recipe is also enriched with balanced vitamins and minerals to ensure that they grow healthily according to their age.

It is packed with lutein for your kitten’s eye health, and it also contains a mixture of calcium and phosphorus to support bone and joint development.

Additionally, it is loaded with taurine that helps your cat grow with a healthy heart, and it contains clinically proven antioxidants to support his natural defenses against diseases.   

8. Blue Buffalo Wilderness Kitten Chicken Recipe

Kittens need all the nutrients that their bodies can safely and effectively use to support their growth and development.

And you can start by feeding them with high-quality animal protein to satisfy their needs and desires as obligate carnivores.

Blue Buffalo Wilderness Kitten formula is sure to catch your young cat’s delight with its meaty flavor that comes from a real deboned chicken.

With its 40% crude protein content, your kitten is nourished enough to grow with strong bones and healthy muscles.

This kitten formula is also enriched with taurine for your kitten’s cognitive and eye health, and it contains fatty acids like the ones found in his mama’s milk. Moreover, its DHA and ARA content helps promote healthy growth and development.

And this nutritious chicken meal also features Blue Buffalo’s LifeSource Bits – a precise blend of antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals, to support your kitten’s immune health.

Additionally, this recipe is grain-free, and it doesn’t contain corn, wheat, soy, artificial flavors, or meat by-products.

9. Natural Balance L.I.D. Green Pea & Duck Formula

Feed your Maine Coon a tasty limited ingredients diet that would entice him to eat. This grain-free limited ingredient cat food is specially made for cats with food sensitivities.

With only a few ingredients and only one source of animal protein, which is a duck, there is a very slim chance that your cat would exhibit an allergic response to this meal. And if he does, at least you already have an idea which food he is potentially allergic to.

Also, despite having fewer ingredients, Natural Balance L.I.D. Grain-Free Cat Food is still loaded with vitamins, minerals, and other vital nutrients that your cat needs to thrive while fighting his food sensitivities.

This recipe also contains essential fatty acids that help promote healthy skin and coat, as well as taurine to help keep his brain and eye health in prime conditions.

10. Instinct LID Paté Real Turkey Recipe

This premium wet food is formulated with cage-free turkey as its first ingredient, which is easily digestible meat and novel protein.

So, feeding this flavorful meal to your sensitive cat won’t be hard on his belly, and it has a slim chance of triggering allergic reactions since turkey isn’t a common ingredient to most dry and canned cat foods.

Aside from having only one source of animal protein, this cat food recipe also uses peas as its sole vegetable source.

Additionally, each moisture-rich bite of this delicious pate is loaded with vitamins, minerals to provide your cat with complete and balanced nutrition.

And to top it all, it is also gluten-free, and it is free from corn, wheat, or soy, as well as chicken, eggs, dairy, grain, and potato.

Your majestic Maine Coon is sure to find solace again in this nutrient-dense wet food that is made in the USA using only the finest ingredients.

What’s a Nutritionally Balanced Diet for Maine Coon Cat Breed?

The Maine Coon is a majestic-looking cat, with its size, stature, and healthy fluffy coat.

And as pet owners, we must provide them with complete and balanced nutrition to ensure that they grow at a healthy rate, and achieve the right physical proportions for their age.   

The portions of fresh cat food that you should give to your Maine Coon can be influenced by several factors: his age, activity level (outdoor or indoor cat), special health needs, and your veterinarian’s recommendations.

However, generally speaking, Maine Coon cat breeders find that their cats do pretty well with a free-feed diet when they were still kittens and young adults. However, as they reach middle age, they can easily gain weight.

Hence, during this stage, it would be beneficial for them to have a low-calorie diet to reduce their chances of being overweight even if they have access to kibbles all day round.

Nonetheless, Maine Coon cats need the same basic nutritional requirements as other domestic cats. And as obligate carnivores with huge built and naturally active demeanor, they could thrive better on a high protein diet. In contrast, you should give them a diet that is low in carbohydrates to ensure a healthy growth rate.

On top of that, it’s best to feed them with a high-quality cat food with probiotics and enough fiber to promote healthy digestion and support gut health.

You should also check their canned cat food or kibbles to ensure that they have the vitamins, minerals, and fatty acids that they need to support their overall health and wellness and promote a healthy coat all year round.

Additionally, cats cannot produce their own vitamin A, vitamin D, and arachidonic acid, so, it would help to choose cat food recipes with these specific nutrients.

They would also need supplemental vitamin K, vitamin B6 (pyridoxine), niacin, arginine, and healthy fats in their diet. 

Finally, when buying food for your cat in the United States, don’t forget to check for the stamp of The Association of American Feed Control Officials to guarantee that your cat will benefit from a well-balanced, and nutritious diet.

How You Should Deal With Maine Coon Food Allergies?

Early diagnosis of food allergies is important to stop the uncomfortable symptoms. If you suspect that your Maine Coon is allergic to any ingredient of his cat food, don’t hesitate to seek veterinary guidance immediately.

Some of the common signs that you should watch out for include itchy skin, bloating, and vomiting.

Treating food allergies can start through the process of an elimination diet, or by conducting food tests to find out the culprit to your cat’s allergic reactions.

Feeding your cat with a limited ingredient or hypoallergenic diet would also help since these cat foods contain fewer ingredients.

FAQs About a Maine Coon Cat’s Diet

Should You Buy Breed Specific Cat Food?

No, you don’t have to stick to a Maine Coon cat food and potentially snub other cat foods that are equally or even more nutritious and that your cat would even love more.

There are a lot of trusted pet food brands nowadays that produce high-quality cat foods. These kibbles and wet foods are packed with the essential nutrients that your cat needs to have complete and balanced nutrition.

If you are a bit lost, you can start with the best cat foods that we’ve featured above, and don’t hesitate to ask your veterinarian for recommendations if that will give you an added layer of assurance.

How Much Should You Feed Your Maine Coon?

The amount of food your Maine Coon should consume won’t necessarily rely on his breed but other more important factors such as your cat’s health, age, and activity level.

Maine Coon cats are naturally active and playful, so they need a well-balanced diet that can provide them enough nutrients to keep up with their high energy levels.

Generally, just like with other cats, Maine Coons tend to be more active when they are younger. As they age, their desire and energy level decreases, so you should also adjust their diet accordingly.

And as mentioned earlier, make sure to only give your cat high-quality pet food that is rich in protein, low in carbohydrates, and fortified with vitamins, minerals, and fatty acids to support them holistically.

Also, pay attention to the ingredients of your cat’s food making sure that there are no fillers and preservatives, such as corn, and wheat, because these will only bulk up your cat without providing useful nutrients.

And worse, these ingredients will only increase your cat’s likelihood of developing health problems eventually.

Dry or Wet Cat Foods: Which is better?

Feeding your Maine Coon with high-quality dry food or kibbles is preferable over premium canned food. Dry cat food can provide the same nutrients as wet food, and it can be more helpful in promoting dental health.

Chewing kibbles can also serve as an exercise to strengthen your cat’s jaw, and to keep his teeth sharp and healthy. Also, you can free-feed your cat with dry food since it stays fresh longer than a Maine Coon wet food.

In contrast, the food debris from wet food can easily get caught in your cat’s teeth, which can only give way to plaque and tartar buildup, bad breath, and other more serious periodontal diseases, and dental health problems.

And of course, feeding your cat wet food all the time can be expensive, especially if you have a bunch of felines with you.

Nonetheless, it’s not bad to give your Maine Coon wet food occasionally as this can also add variation to his diet, which is good for his health and appetite.

Wet food is also great for cats who are not fond of drinking water since they contain more moisture than dry food. And as we know, cats need to be well-hydrated to keep their kidneys healthy.  

Is It Okay to Add Variations to Your Cat’s Diet?

Yes, it’s definitely fine to add variation to your cat’s diet. It doesn’t mean, though, that you will have to change his food now and then because doing so can upset his stomach, especially if it’s done all of a sudden.

You can add variation by incorporating wet food into your cat’s weekly diet. You can also add treats, and homemade cat foods, as well as toppers.

Also, if you notice that your cat is losing interest in his current dry food, you can gradually introduce a new brand of kibbles to his diet.

By doing this, you can ensure that his food is always appealing to him, and so he won’t end up getting bored eventually in eating the same cat food for what seems like an eternity.

Should You Treat Your Maine Coon as an Outdoor Farm Cat or an Indoor Cat?

Not all Maine Coon cat owners can let their expensive feline buddies wander outside the safe boundaries of their home.

And there are several reasons for this, such as their location, the dangers of being attacked by wild animals, the risk of being stolen by other people since Maine Coons have a high resale value, the dangers of being hit by cars, and the list goes on. 

Hence, your decision to get your cat accustomed to the outdoors or to safely secure him inside your home is up to you. However, it doesn’t mean though that keeping your cat indoors will deprive them of a happy and healthy life.  

Your active and playful Maine Coon can still have a good quality of life inside the comfort of your home. And you can do so by providing him with enough outlets for his energies, such as scratchboards, cat poles, and toys.

It would also help by giving him an area where he can see the view from the outside. You can also build him a catio, so he can still have access to the outdoors safely.

And more importantly, you have to allocate playtime with him because this will serve as your bonding time, and it will keep him physically and mentally stimulated.

Every second spent playing with your gentle giant can also encourage him to exercise, especially when your cat is getting older.