What/How Much To Feed Maine Coon Cat

jatsk · Oct 16, 2014

Hi,

I got a new cat a few months ago. The people I got it from said it was a stray when they got it, so they do not know for sure what kind of cat it is, but it looks like he is mostly Maine Coon.When we first got him, he weighed 13 lbs. We took him to the vet yesterday and he gained 2 lbs. just since we got him. So, the vet told me to give him indoor or weight control food. I was giving him 1 cup per day of Iams original dry food. I looked at the Iams indoor and weight control food, and the first ingredient is chicken by products, instead of just chicken. So, I am looking for something else to feed him that is for indoor cats and won't cost a fortune and has chicken as the first ingredient. Does anyone know of a good brand? What about Authority brand indoor formula? Is that a good one? Also, how much should I feed him per day? If I decide to give him some wet food, too, how much wet food and how much dry food per day? Do Maine Coons need more food than other cats? Thanks!

lokhismom · Oct 16, 2014

I think an all wet diet is healthier.

Every cat is different but most cats eat around 5.5 to 6 oz of wet food a day. One 5.5 oz can or 2 of the 3 oz cans broken up in 3 or 4 meals a day. I feed all wet but some will feed wet with a small amount of dry a day too.

I'd give these a read. They helped me decide what to feed my kitten

Feline nutrition

http://www.catinfo.org/docs/Feeding Your Cat - 4 pages 11-13.pdf

How often should you feed your cat

http://catcentric.org/care-and-health/how-often-should-you-feed-your-cat/

There are lots of good brands discussed around here , grain free with chicken as a first ingredient. I personally like Natures Variety Instinct, Nutro Natural Choice, Weruva, Wellness.

Good luck with your new furbaby

Kat0121 · Oct 16, 2014

Lokhismom said:
I think an all wet diet is healthier.

Every cat is different but most cats eat around 5.5 to 6 oz of wet food a day. One 5.5 oz can or 2 of the 3 oz cans broken up in 3 or 4 meals a day. I feed all wet but some will feed wet with a small amount of dry a day too.

I'd give these a read. They helped me decide what to feed my kitten

Feline nutrition

http://www.catinfo.org/docs/Feeding Your Cat - 4 pages 11-13.pdf

How often should you feed your cat

http://catcentric.org/care-and-health/how-often-should-you-feed-your-cat/

There are lots of good brands discussed around here , grain free with chicken as a first ingredient. I personally like Natures Variety Instinct, Nutro Natural Choice, Weruva, Wellness.

Good luck with your new furbaby

I agree with @Lokhismom about an all wet diet. That's what mine are on. I also agree about the suggested brands. Mine are picky about Wellness though and will not eat any of it other than the Divine Duos. They also like Pride by Instinct, Nature's Variety Prairie Homestyle and Soulistic (made by Weruva for Petco). You should find the links above to be very helpful.

lisahe · Oct 16, 2014

I agree with the others about feeding wet food instead of dry... when a friend had a situation just like yours (the cat gained a lot of weight shortly after being adopted), our cat specialist vet recommended she take him off dry food (this should be done gradually) and feed him two timed feedings (a half-hour each) of as much wet food as he would eat. It worked great for losing the weight and it works great for maintenance. FWIW, since you asked about intake, our cats eat an average of the equivalent of a little over a 5.5-ounce can of food a day: they're about 1.5 years old, small, and very active. I do feed them foods with highly varying caloric contents so it's hard to compare on a per-can basis.

One reason switching to wet food is helpful for weight loss is that cats need protein instead of carbohydrates, which are a big part of dry foods. We feed our cats many of the brands the others mentioned: all the ones we feed are low-carb. One line you might want to check out is Weruva's Cats in the Kitchen: they're shreds, the prices are decent, and the calories are low. Our cats especially love the Chicken Frick a Zee. (Or some such spelling!)

Good luck, @jatsk!

raintyger · Oct 16, 2014

Another vote for wet, especially since you're trying to control weight. Feeding dry would be like telling your friend who wants to lose weight to go eat white bread and sugared protein bars.

I would, though, feed more than 5.5-6 oz. The 5.5-6 oz. is for an average cat, about 10 pounds. Your kitty is on the large size, even at normal weight, and you have to reduce calories slowly. Reduce calories by no more than 10% per month. I might even switch over to 100% wet with the same amount of calories and see what happens. Since wet has less carbs, your kitty will probably lose weight just by that single change alone. From there you can gauge whether or not to cut back more.

If you can find out what the cat was being fed previously, that would help. If the previous owners say it was fed 100% wet food, then the weight gain is definitely due to too much carbs in the dry food. On the other hand, if you're feeding the same amount of the same brand, then maybe he needs more exercise.

I don't know if there are extra calorie requirements, but Maine Coons also grow for some time beyond 1 year, so make sure he still has enough nutrition and calories to accommodate is long growth cycle.

jatsk · Oct 17, 2014

Thanks, everyone! I was giving him the same brand of food that the previous owner gave him, but I do not know how much they gave him. I gave him 1 cup, which is probably too much for an indoor neutered cat. I really wish I could give him an all wet diet, but with 2 dogs plus the cat, I cannot afford it. I'm not even sure I can give him wet food at all. Right now I only spend $7 -$10 per month for his food, so the cost per month would increase a lot if I gave him wet food everyday. So, if I give him a good quality dry food instead of wet, would that really be bad? I was thinking of switching him to the Nutro Natural Choice Indoor dry food and only give him 2/3 cup per day. He does drink plenty of water, so I'm not concerned about him not getting enough water.

He probably needs more exercise, too. I have a small house, and he's allowed on the first floor and in the basement, but not on the second floor. How do I get him to get more exercise? Are there any toys that are good for that? He is the kind of cat that likes to be left alone for the most part. If I try calling him to me he doesn't even look at me, he just keeps walking. I've tried playing with him before with a stick toy that has a string with a feather on it. He plays for a minute or two, but I don't know if that would give him enough exercise. Any ideas?

2cats4me · Oct 17, 2014

jatsk said:
Thanks, everyone! I was giving him the same brand of food that the previous owner gave him, but I do not know how much they gave him. I gave him 1 cup, which is probably too much for an indoor neutered cat. I really wish I could give him an all wet diet, but with 2 dogs plus the cat, I cannot afford it. I'm not even sure I can give him wet food at all. Right now I only spend $7 -$10 per month for his food, so the cost per month would increase a lot if I gave him wet food everyday. So, if I give him a good quality dry food instead of wet, would that really be bad? I was thinking of switching him to the Nutro Natural Choice Indoor dry food and only give him 2/3 cup per day. He does drink plenty of water, so I'm not concerned about him not getting enough water.

He probably needs more exercise, too. I have a small house, and he's allowed on the first floor and in the basement, but not on the second floor. How do I get him to get more exercise? Are there any toys that are good for that? He is the kind of cat that likes to be left alone for the most part. If I try calling him to me he doesn't even look at me, he just keeps walking. I've tried playing with him before with a stick toy that has a string with a feather on it. He plays for a minute or two, but I don't know if that would give him enough exercise. Any ideas?

@jatsk If you could feed him something like Friskies Pate , 5 1/2 oz cans are two for .89 cents .. @ 1 can per day it would only cost you about $ 4.00 per week for that ..

You could give him 1 can in the morning , then at night give him about a 1/4 cup of dry food . I think Authority has a low fat formula and it is pretty reasonable price ..

I wish my cats would eat wet food but they refuse everything I offer them .. I am still trying though ...

momto3cats · Oct 17, 2014

IMO "indoor" foods are just a gimmick. Feed him a good quality food that's low in carbs if you're worried about his weight. Unfortunately that isn't the cheapest diet, but it doesn't have to be very expensive either. A combination of something like Authority or Nutro dry with an inexpensive canned food like Friskies pate is a good diet that won't cost much. Even a can per week rather than every day would be an improvement over dry only. Or give him tidbits of unseasoned meat when you cook for yourself, if you eat meat.

lisahe · Oct 17, 2014

momto3cats said:
IMO "indoor" foods are just a gimmick. Feed him a good quality food that's low in carbs if you're worried about his weight. Unfortunately that isn't the cheapest diet, but it doesn't have to be very expensive either. A combination of something like Authority or Nutro dry with an inexpensive canned food like Friskies pate is a good diet that won't cost much. Even a can per week rather than every day would be an improvement over dry only. Or give him tidbits of unseasoned meat when you cook for yourself, if you eat meat.

I agree about indoor foods! Indoor foods are often lower in protein than regular foods of the same brand, and it's the protein you want, particularly because it's often fattening carbs that replace the protein. It's definitely worth comparing the labels to find the higher protein. And yes, even a small amount of canned food is better than none!

As for toys, @jatsk, our cats love chasing sponge balls (Petco), milk caps, dental floss boxes, and knotted-off old socks with catnip inside. (I'm glad they like the free stuff...) They love chasing them down the hallway or down the stairs, particularly if we tap them on the floor first. Also, since your cat was a stray it might take him a little longer to be feel comfortable -- our cats are rescue cats, too, and it took them a while to really feel at home and engage with us. Good luck!

What/How Much To Feed Maine Coon Cat

jatsk

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lokhismom

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Kat0121

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lisahe

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raintyger

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jatsk

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2cats4me

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momto3cats

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lisahe

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