Maine Coon cats really are the gentle giants of the domestic cat world. Not only are they oh-so-fluffy, they can also be very large with the average male Maine Coon weighing in at 13-18lbs! This size, of course, begs the question: do Maine Coons eat a lot?
Do Maine Coons Eat A Lot?
Maine Coon cats don’t eat a lot when you take their size and weight into account. The amount your Maine Coon eats will also depend on the type of food that they eat (wet or dry) and the quality of the food.
Let’s have a look at how these factors impact how much food your Maine Coon will need.
If you feed your Maine Coon a high quality or even breed-specific food, you won’t have to feed them as much as you would if you feed them inferior food.
This is because the higher quality food is nutritionally dense, and your Maine Coon needs less to get the calories and nutrition they need on a daily basis.
How much your Maine Coon eats will also depend on whether they have a diet of wet food, of dry food (kibble), or a mixed diet.
One of the most important things to keep in mind when you feed your Maine Coon, is that they should be given a specific amount of food according to their weight and according to how active they are. Unfortunately, being overweight can happen to Maine Coons as well as humans!
How Much Should A Maine Coon Eat?
On average, if you feed your Maine Coon a high-quality food, you would have to feed the average weight Maine Coon (13lbs) between 55g and 70g of dry food per day (depending on how active they are) if they only eat dry food, and about 50g of kibble if they eat a mixed diet.
For a mixed diet, you should feed an average weight Maine Coon, along with the 50g of kibble, one medium-sized can, or approximately 85g, of wet food per day.
However, be sure to check the packaging of the food you buy to see what amount of food they advise.
You should also rather feed a few small, measured meals during the day than simply filling up their bowl and leaving the food out for the day. This will keep your gentle giant from overeating and gaining weight or the food spoiling.
Pierre’s Maine Coon 
Should My Maine Coon Eat Wet Or Dry Food?
Although it is possible to feed your Maine Coon either a wet or a dry diet, feeding a mixed diet has a lot of benefits.
While dry food helps to clean your cat’s teeth because of the shape of the kibble, it also gives your cat a chance for “grazing behavior”. This means that your cat can have a lot of small meals during the day instead of having one or two big ones.
You should be careful, however, not to feed your giant kitty kibble that are too small, as they will simply swallow them whole, and then it can cause regurgitation of the food.
Wet food, on the other hand, (besides being seen as a treat by felines) helps to keep your cat hydrated as cats really aren’t big on drinking water because of their low thirst drive.
When you routinely complement your cat’s kibble with a nutritionally complete wet food, you can also help them to maintain a healthy weight.
If your cat is struggling with maintaining weight, wet food can also help your cat to eat more and thereby increase the number of calories they eat in a day.
Just be sure not to leave the wet food out too long as it does spoil quite quickly. Rather feed smaller portions of wet food than letting it sit outside uneaten.
Why Doesn’t My Maine Coon Want To Eat Or Eats Very Little?
There are many reasons why cats won’t eat, from not liking the flavor of the food to being in an unfamiliar environment, to illness. Let’s have a closer look.
Dislike the food or the flavor
This is probably the easiest thing to fix when your Maine Coon won’t eat. If you have another flavor of food in the house, try that and see if they eat that. Otherwise, you can see if they’ll eat some tuna (or their favorite treat).
If they even turn up their noses at that, then there is probably something wrong.
Hairballs
They are struggling to throw up a hairball or know they are going to throw one up soon. If your Maine Coon seems fine otherwise, it may be that they have a hairball. Unfortunately, the only thing you can do is wait a while and see.
If you find that your cat is struggling to throw up a hairball, take them to the vet immediately.
Your Maine Coon may be ill
Check that they haven’t thrown up and that their stools are normal. You can also check that they do urinate as often as they normally do. You can also check for crustiness around the nose and eyes or a lot of sneezing.
If you suspect that your Maine Coon is sick, get them to the vet as soon as you can.
An unfamiliar environment
If you’ve just moved house, are traveling, or suddenly have a house full of visitors, you may find that your Maine Coon doesn’t want to eat or eats very little. If this is the case, it’s important that you first make them feel at ease before feeding them.
Give them a room or part of a room to themselves with a favorite bed or blanket, some toys, and their food and water. Once they feel more at ease, they should eat.
As you can see, you can tell a lot about your cat’s health by the amount they eat and that what they eat is also very important. Ensuring that your Maine Coon has the best nutrition possible should mean a healthy, long life for your gentle giant.
Related Questions:
How Can I Keep My Maine Coon From Eating Too Fast?
Often when cats eat too fast, they end up regurgitating the food not long after, so letting your cat eat slower and not gulp down their meals is always a good idea.
If you see that your cat eats too fast, a quick fix is to put an obstacle in the form of a ping pong or golf ball in their bowl with their food. You can also try puzzle food balls and slow feeders.
Do Maine Coons Throw Up A Lot?
No, Maine Coons shouldn’t throw up a lot. Healthy Maine Coons will throw up the odd hairball, but if they throw up regularly or suddenly start throwing up, it can be a sign of an underlying illness, that their stomachs are too sensitive for the food they’re eating, or even that they are allergic to an ingredient in the food.
It can also be that they’re eating too fast. When in doubt, contact your vet to have a good look at your gentle giant.
Why Is My Maine Coon Throwing Up A Lot Of Hairballs?
Healthy cats do throw up hairballs every now and then. However, cats like Maine Coons grow a thicker coat in winter, which can mean more loose hair and more hairballs.
These hairballs can even interrupt your cat’s usual eating routine or put them off their food completely. Regular grooming should take care of most loose hair and keep the hair from forming hairballs when your Maine Coon groom themselves.
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