Maine Coon nutrition standards: dry, wet and natural food

Important points

You can minimize the risk of problems with excess weight and digestion by following feeding rules:

• Introduce complementary foods for kittens gradually: natural food in a minimal amount, dry food – in a soaked form;
• new products give 1 per day;
• As your pet gets older, you should reduce the number of feedings by increasing the serving size;
• you must follow the daily feed amount indicated on the packaging;
• castrated and sterilized animals must be given appropriate food;
• The cat should always have access to clean drinking water.

It is important to remember that every animal is different and feeding standards may vary for each cat.

Care and maintenance

The raccoon cat, or Maine Coon, requires special care. If we recall the description of its representatives, they have long hair, large sizes and a good appetite.

Maine Coon

Caring for a Maine Coon is not an easy task, so before you bring such a handsome dog into your home, you should think carefully about whether a person can devote a lot of time and effort to the animal.

This breed has a number of positive traits. These cats are smart, trainable, get along well even with small children, are clean and quickly adapt to the habits and behavior of their owner. The only drawback is the high maintenance requirements.

Basic conditions that must be met:

• Regular cleaning of the eyes from accumulated mucus. It appears even in a completely healthy animal;
• cleaning the ears. The area is quite delicate, so the procedure is carried out carefully so that the animal does not jerk and harm itself. Healthy and clean ears are pink in color, without foreign accumulations;
• the pet's long hair requires daily combing using a special comb;
• Claws should not be allowed to grow to too large a size. Otherwise, they will cause inconvenience to the pet.

Grooming

Drinking water

Many cat owners mistakenly believe that their animals get enough moisture from their food. In fact, your cat needs to have 24/7 access to fresh water.

Lack of fluid provokes the development of serious pathologies, such as impaired renal function and a disorder of water balance in the body. The amount of water a Maine Coon should drink depends on the animal's diet. A cat eating dry food needs to replenish 250-300% of moisture, and natural vegetable or meat puree already contains liquid, but drinking is still necessary (at least 50% of the food weight).

This is interesting! It has been noticed that, regardless of the type of food and taste preferences, absolutely all Maine Coons drink a lot of water.

The best food for Maine Coon

The table shows the TOP 5 (best industrial feed):

Feeding castrated animals

Most animals show a more active appetite after surgery. This is due to changes in hormonal levels. The owner needs to closely monitor the weight, activity and general behavior of the neutered Maine Coon. As soon as the cat becomes passive, refuses to go for walks, or begins to breathe heavily after slight physical exertion, it means that its weight has exceeded the permissible limits. In this case, the portion is reduced and 2-3 fasting fasting days per month are prescribed.

Castrated cats are prone to manifestations of urolithiasis - a special series of industrial feeds is intended for them.

It is not recommended to give fish to castrated cats.

Proper nutrition of the Maine Coon is the key to its good health and guarantees that the pet will reach old age. And some of the difficulties in preparing natural food or the financial costs of high-quality industrial mixtures are more than compensated for by years of long and strong friendship between the owner and his giant pet.

What should you not feed?

A number of foods are prohibited for this breed.

• Poorly digestible meat and poultry - pork, fatty lamb, goose, duck.
• Almost all fish. In nature, coons do not eat fish, so their digestive system is not adapted for such food.
• Bones. A cat can harm itself with sharp fragments of bird and fish bones.
• Sugar in any form disrupts metabolism.
• Salt and spices damage the stomach as they are not digested and can lead to the formation of kidney and liver stones.
• Boiled and smoked sausages, canned food. Contains many harmful additives.
• Potatoes, peas and other legumes. Causes bloating and disrupts digestion.

Some tips

Maine Coons are fed food at room temperature, which should be slightly warmed up. Up to two months, kittens are given food 5-6 times a day, gradually reducing (as they grow) the number of feedings and increasing the portion size. Adult pets are fed morning and evening. A balanced food contains at least 40% protein, 30% fat and 2% fiber. An adult cat can eat up to 500 grams of food per day.

Method for preparing kunin porridge

Many owners believe that the best option for feeding a Maine Coon to gain weight is marten porridge.

This is a serving method that involves mixing various natural ingredients. Each Maine Coon owner can create the recipe himself, depending on the preferences and weight of his pet. All ingredients are crushed and mixed in one bowl. Sour milk, cottage cheese, cheese, eggs and butter are added immediately before feeding. The porridge is prepared, put into bags and stored in the freezer. Before feeding the cat, defrost it and bring it to room temperature.

About the breed

Maine Coons are also called American Coon Cats, probably because that's where they come from. This breed gained fame back in the 19th century, and since then it has been given the palm in popularity only once - to the fluffier Persians.

There was even a period when Maine Coons could have disappeared altogether as a species , but thanks to their impressive appearance and excellent hunting abilities, they managed not only to survive, but also to take first places at exhibitions.

Today, the Maine Coon is one of the most popular breeds. And it’s not just their unusual appearance – these cats have an unusually kind character. The formidable beast is actually more similar in character to a plush toy: it will never scratch you and can’t even meow loudly.

© shutterstock

In terms of care, only the claws and fur require special attention, but the food ration is quite simple for adults; with babies you will have to tinker.

Factors affecting kitten growth

The development and growth of a kitten is affected by several factors, some of which can be influenced by humans.

• “Boy” kittens are naturally larger than “girl” kittens.
• Little baby size at birth. A larger kitten is in more favorable conditions, since it will quickly reach its mother’s milk, using its strength.
• Parents' sizes. Genetics is responsible for this. If mom and dad are big, then the kids are big, and they grow faster.
• If the cat eats properly and variedly, then the kittens receive everything they need for rapid development.
• Facilities and growing conditions for small Maine Coons, their maintenance. Any stressful situations associated with other animals or a change of environment are not allowed. Stress is contraindicated for the female, as it can also affect the kittens. The cat may even stop feeding.

How to read the composition?

The ingredients used to make the food are listed on the packaging. However, some manufacturers, when indicating the word “meat,” mean by it products of processing of bones, hooves, wool or horns of animals. For normal growth and development, the Maine Coon needs proteins, and the health of the pet depends on how they are preserved.

The standard list of ingredients includes:

• meat (indicating the type, which allows you to determine whether the food is suitable for a cat with allergies);
• cereals;
• vegetables;
• fruits;
• vitamins and minerals;
• ash content (not always indicated).

Ash is ash rich in potassium and phosphorus. The Maine Coon's body practically does not absorb ash, and for kittens and sick animals it is completely dangerous.

The maximum permissible ash content is 6 - 7%.

The percentage of fruits and vegetables in the feed is small, but their presence is necessary - thanks to the vitamins and fiber they contain, animals digest food better. Beneficial for cats of this breed:

• carrot;
• peas;
• sweet potato;
• apples;
• blueberry;
• cranberry;
• pumpkin.

The food also contains herbs that help maintain Maine Coon health:

• calendula;
• alfalfa;
• chamomile;
• dandelion;
• fennel;
• rosemary;
• seaweed.

Despite their low content, these components are necessary for the Maine Coon. Thus, seaweed serves as a source of iodine, a deficiency of which is often observed in animals.