What Should I Feed My Maine Coon?

If you’re like thousands of other Maine Coon cat owners in the world then you’ve certainly asked yourself what should I feed my Maine Coon? You only want what’s best for you cat, I totally get it. The challenge you might face is once you start researching this topic, you’ll discover that there’s no right or wrong answer.

While most people that are concerned with a healthy diet will agree that quality cat food is important, there’s no real consensus on which brand is best. After we toss out the cheapie foods like Meow Mix – which uses corn and soybean proteins instead of animal proteins, then It’s all a matter of opinion if you ask me.

I don’t judge anyone for any choice they make when it comes to feeding their cat. I can’t say that rings true for every breeder that you may talk to about what to feed your Maine Coon. All I can do is share my personal experience with you in hopes that you can make what YOU FEEL is the best decision for you and your pussy cat.

Do Your Own Research When It Comes to Selecting a Food For Your Cat

Please remember that I’m only sharing my personal experience, and by no means am I an expert, licensed veterinarian or a pet nutritionist. If your cat has any specific or health concerns then you should consult with your veterinarian for a recommendation.

When you’re trying to decide what to feed your Maine Coon, just take the time to research the different options and choose the one that’s best for you and your kitties. If it doesn’t work out, you can always change it. You have my support no matter what you choose. I’m not an affiliate or an ambassador for any brand of cat food, which you may discover food recommendations from breeders because they are, in fact, affiliates for the brand.

Taste of the Wild – Rocky Mountain

This brand of “healthy cat food” was recommended to me by a Maine Coon Breeder for my first Maine Coon, Finlay. He ate this brand for about one year. I’ll be the first to admit that it made his poo very stinky, and it also made him vomit. I thought he had a sensitive stomach until I started researching and discovered that it could be his diet. That’s when I start looking for a different brand of cat food.

Blue Buffalo Wilderness

The next healthy cat food brand I tried was Blue Buffalo Wilderness. It was also recommended to me by a Maine Coon breeder, different than the first one. This brand is also 100% Grain Free. Finlay ate this for about one year, and then I added Big Ben to the family. He also was eating Blue Buffalo Wilderness Chicken.

That’s when I learned that this brand had a recall. I normally don’t freak out over recalls because things happen in manufacturing plants, just like when HUMAN GRADE food like romaine lettuce has a recall. But in this case, this brand has had numerous recalls on both their dog food and cat food. For that, the reliability and credibility of this company went down the tubes for me.

Raw Diet For Cats

I had the butcher shop chop up 40 pounds of chicken thighs, I added Livers and heart and bone meal. There are some correct formulas for raw diet recipes, which I did follow. Then I stuffed the freezer full of raw food for the cats.

It took me all of about 1 time preparing a raw diet for several cats and observing them eating to realize a few things:

1. It is very time-consuming to do meal prep with raw food for cats.
2. If you’re going to do it “right”, an additional freezer may be in order.
3. Raw diet for cats is very messy. They drag the raw chicken all over the house, treating it much differently than they do store-bought food. They do treat it more like “prey”. I have a bit of OCD when it comes to my house being clean, so I was grossed out by finding raw chicken hidden in places I didn’t suspect.
4. I’m not willing to put the work in to feed my cats a raw diet. There, I said it. I’m the owner of 3 successful businesses and manage teams of people. I just don’t have time to add the raw diet element into my lifestyle. Beat me up if you want to, it’s ok
5. I don’t like handling raw chicken. It grosses me out to handle raw meat when I’m cooking MY OWN meals. Now let’s throw in some slimy livers and hearts. No thank you.
6. They say it’s ok for the cats to eat raw chicken bones. So I gave them all a chicken wing to try. They all started gnawing on it, and I was like “umm, no. Give it to me”. – So basically, I don’t want to stand over my cats making sure they don’t choke on chicken bones. I know that is so stupid because in the WILD that is what they would eat is raw prey. But guess what? They don’t live in the wild. They live in my house.
7. I know it’s good for them, but it’s not good for me, mentally.

The Final Choice of a Healthy Cat Food

After several years of trying to find the right cat food, I had a talk with another Maine Coon breeder friend of mine. She told me that she fed her cats Purina ProPlan and that her cats did better on that than any other food she’s tried, including the expensive brands. That made me think…

I had a Himalayan named Jack that lived to be 14.5 years old. Their life expectancy is 15 years. He was on a Purina Pro diet HIS ENTIRE LIFE!! He lived a happy, normal life and eventually just died of old age. If that cat food worked for him AND me, then it can work AGAIN!

So that’s when I made the switch to Purina ProPlan True Nature. They eat the dry kibble AND the canned food every day. Ever since I made the switch to this brand, I feel like everyone in the house, including the cats and me, are all happy. They look good, they have energy, their coats are shiny and soft. No one vomits after they eat, everyone has normal poops. I mean, what more could I ask for? They’ve been eating this for over a year now and I have no intention of switching their diet again.

I don’t succumb to peer pressure that people give when it comes to what you should feed your pets. I feel like you should make the best choice that YOU CAN as their Guardian, and not be pulled in different directions. It can get very crazy if you start having conversations with pet food enthusiasts about what is best for your cat.  What works for one cat might not work for another one.  Each cat is an individual. So for me to find one brand that works very well for EVERYONE is the best choice, in my opinion, for all of us!

What do Sassy Koonz Kittens Eat?

Around the age of 4 to 5 weeks old, the Maine Coon Kittens are introduced to kitten food. They’re given Purina ProPlan True Nature Grain-Free Canned Food. By the age of 6 to 7 weeks, I’m adding in dry kibble to the wet food, so it’s a mixture of half and half.

When they leave the nursery and go home to their Guardians they’re still eating a mixture of dry and canned food.

You can check out the Kitten Care Guide from Birth to 12 Weeks to see this in action!

What Do Sassy Koonz Adults Eat?

The Adult Maine Coon Cats at Sassy Koonz, both my breeders and my pets alike eat Instinct Ultimate Protein Grain-Free Recipe dry diet and Purina ProPlan True Nature Chick and LIver Canned diet. I mix it up together and feed it to them. Sometimes they just get the canned as a special treat. They love it.

As I explained in the video I’ve tested several different diets for my cats, including raw. This is the only one that I feel like I can sleep at night and feel ok with them eating on a daily basis. I’m basing this on their coats, their behavior, their energy levels, and whether or not they throw up after they eat. I hope that you, too, can find the right diet for your precious kitties. Ultimately, it does make a difference.

Is Instinct Ultimate Protein a Healthy Cat Food?

For me, it’s a healthy choice. What I use to make my decision is how my cats respond to the food. How do they look? How do they act? Do they have energy? Are their coats shiny and smooth? Are they vomiting after they eat? Do they have healthy stools? These are the questions that I ask myself when deciding on cat food for my cats. Does everyone like Instinct Ultimate Protein? Of course, they don’t. Does everyone like Life’s Abundance? Of Course, they don’t. Am I someone to judge what anyone feeds their cats? NO, I’M NOT.

There’s plenty of information about cat foods, dry kibble, wet food, and raw diets for cats.

Information about What You Should Feed Your Cat – Written By A Veterinarian

You can tell that I’ve had my share of struggles with pet food. I really don’t like to get caught up in the hype. I prefer to do my own research and my own testing and then make an informed decision based on what I think is best. That’s really all any of us can do. I think it all depends on how your cat responds, looks, and behaves on the cat food that matters.

When it comes to deciding what you should feed your cat, you’ll find so many varying opinions. All you can do as a pet owner is trying to make the best decision for YOU and YOUR PET, not for onlookers. So don’t try to make people happy by conforming to what THEY think you should feed your cats. I found the best article I’ve ever read about choosing cat food. It’s very informative and isn’t persuasive to any “brand” of food.

How Much do Maine Coon cats eat?

Maine Coons are large cats, and eat more than the average cat. Maine Coon kittens burn a lot of calories and burn a lot of energy. You should let your kitten eat as much as he wants while he is still growing. You can free-feed dry kibble as well as offer canned food 1 – 2 times per day.

Ideally, as an adult cat, your Maine Coon should consume approximately 20 calories per pound of body weight.

Here are some other articles you may enjoy about caring for your Maine Coon Cat:

• Bringing Home a Maine Coon Kitten
• Extra Items You Will Need For Your Maine Coon Cat
• Why Do Cats Sleep At The Foot Of the Bed?
• A Virtual Tour of the Sassy Koonz Cattery
• Average Lifespan of a Maine Coon

I’m positive that this article will stir the pot! So go ahead, attack me or endorse me in the comment section below. Gimme all you got.