Managing Maine Coon Obesity: Diet and Exercise Tips

Maine Coons are the gentle giants of the cat world, captivating us with their majestic size and playful personalities. But their love for food and laid-back nature can lead to a sneaky problem: obesity. Excess weight in Maine Coons is more than just a cosmetic issue. It increases risks for serious conditions like hip dysplasia, diabetes, and arthritis. These health problems can shorten their lifespan.

Whether you’re a new Maine Coon owner or have owned one for years, your cat’s health is important. It is crucial to keep your cat at a healthy weight. Keeping your cat at a healthy weight is essential. In this post, we’ll share practical diet tips. Exercise tips will also be shared. These will help your Maine Coon stay fit, happy, and thriving for years to come.

What Is Obesity in Maine Coons?

Obesity in Maine Coons occurs when a cat’s body weight exceeds its ideal range by 20% or more. This typically means over 25 pounds for males and 20 pounds for females. Their large, muscular frames can make excess weight hard to spot, as it often hides under their thick fur.

Why Maine Coons Are Prone to Obesity

Maine Coons are more prone to obesity than cats of a more slender build like a Siamese or Abyssinian. They have huge appetites and can even be “fans of table food. “foodies”, which describes a cat that likes to share meal time with its humans. Foodies often beg for foods high in fat content. These include ice cream, butter, and even macaroni and cheese.

A Maine Coon that’s a foodie can be entertaining. However, it can also pose a risk for the cat to become overweight. The metabolism slows down as the cat matures, but the inner foodie probably doesn’t.

Many pet parents will free-feed their cats, especially those that aren’t at home the majority of the time. This can also be risky, since the cat can access as much food as he desires.

Health Risks of Obesity in Maine Coons

There are some standout health risks linked to overweight Maine Coons. The main ones that come to mind are:

• Arthritis
• Hip Dysplasia
• Heart disease
• Diabetes

Any cat is at risk of developing any of these conditions. Being overweight or obese greatly increases the chances. This is due to the strain on the body and the organs. Sadly, an obese cat’s life expectancy is reduced by 2 to 4 years. This is in comparison to a cat of a healthy weight.

If you notice that your Maine Coon is overweight, then intervention is key. Look for signs that include a cat that struggles to jump. Watch if they waddle when they walk. Check for fat pockets on their chest. Check to see if their sides bulge out when you look at them from the top.

Body Scoring Chart for Cats

The body condition scoring (BCS) chart for cats helps you assess your cat’s weight. You can determine if your cat is underweight, at an ideal weight, or overweight by examining its physical traits). Here’s how to interpret it based on the visual and tactile cues:

1. Understand the Scale:
   • 1-3: Underweight – Cats scoring 1 to 3 are too thin. A score of 1 means the cat is emaciated. The ribs, spine, and hip bones are prominently visible. They are easily felt with no fat cover. At 3, ribs are still visible but with a slight fat cover.
   • 4-5: Ideal Weight – This is the healthy range. At 4, the cat has a slight waistline when viewed from above. Ribs are felt with a thin layer of fat. At 5, there’s a more defined waistline, and the abdomen tucks up slightly when viewed from the side.
   • 6-9: Overweight to Obese – Scores of 6 and above indicate excess weight. At 6, the waistline is less visible, and ribs are harder to feel due to a thicker fat layer. By 9, the cat is obese. It has a rounded abdomen and no waistline. The sides are bulging and there are fat pockets on the chest or belly.
2. Visual Assessment:
   • From Above: Look at your cat from a top-down view. An ideal cat (BCS 4-5) has a slight hourglass shape, with a visible waistline behind the ribs. If the sides bulge out or there’s no waist, the cat may be overweight (BCS 6-9). If the waist is overly tucked and the ribs are visible, the cat might be underweight (BCS 1-3).
   • From the Side: Check the abdomen’s shape. An ideal cat has a slight abdominal tuck (the belly curves upward toward the hind legs). A straight or sagging belly suggests overweight (BCS 6-9), while a sharp tuck indicates underweight (BCS 1-3).
3. Tactile Assessment:
   • Feel the Ribs: Run your hands along your cat’s sides. In an ideal cat (BCS 4-5), you can feel the ribs with a slight fat covering. It should be similar to the back of your hand—present but not protruding. If the ribs are hard to feel under a thick fat layer, it may be due to “fat pockets on the chest”. The cat is likely overweight (BCS 6-9). If the ribs feel like your knuckles, with no fat cover, the cat is underweight (BCS 1-3).
   • Check the Spine and Hips: Gently feel along the spine and hip bones. In an ideal cat, these are felt with a thin fat layer. If they’re prominent and sharp, the cat is underweight. If they’re buried under fat, the cat is overweight.

Diet Strategies for a Healthy Weight

Helping your Maine Coon maintain a healthy weight is primarily in the diet. Just like with humans, a healthy diet will keep your cat functioning at its optimal level and weight. The choices of what to fed your cat are plentiful. It’s easy to get caught up in the marketing hype of some of the cat brands on the shelf. Learn to do your research and you’ll be able to make good choices for your cat.

Choosing the Right Food

It’s recommended that you feed your Maine Coon a high protein, low carb diet. If you can find one that’s made for large breed cats, even better! Shoot for 40% protein content and less than 10% carbohydrate.

The general guidelines for caloric intake for a cat is 20-25 calories per pound of ideal body weight. If your cat is overweight, then you’ll feed him the calories for ideal weight, not current weight. You can find calorie content on all cans and bags of cat food.

Stay away from cat foods with fillers and heavy grains as these can lead to weight gain.

Portion Control and Feeding Schedules

To control calorie intake for your cat, feed your kitty 2 to 3 times per day instead of allowing free-feeding. While some cats do perfectly fine free-feeding themselves- some overdo it. These are the ones that become chubby.

If you get any begging behavior, split the meals up into even smaller portions to mimic natural hunting patterns.

Exercise Routines for Maine Coons

Monitoring Progress and Working with a Vet

If your working on helping your cat lose weight, you can do chubby checks to monitor progress. A digital baby scale is a great tool to weigh your cat at home. Aim for no more than 1% loss of body weight per week.

Keep a log of what your cat is eating. Track the activity levels. This will help you determine what’s working best for your cat. If the obesity persists even after consistent attempts to help your cat lose weight, contact your Maine Coon friendly veterinarian. They can perform blood work. It’s possible your cat could have hypothyroidism.

sassykoonz

My name is Tracy Caywood. I live in Jacksonville Beach, Florida, and I'm the Guardian of the Sassy Koonz Maine Coon kittens. My goal and passion is to provide you with education, inspiration, and healthy, well-socialized beautiful Maine Coon babies that you'll love forever. My breeding journey started in 2017, and the cattery has flourished into one of the most sought-after catteries in the Untied States.

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