Let's talk Maine Coons

Tailored health nutrition has a fundamental role to play in maintaining the health and beauty of Maine Coon cats. Food provides energy to help with vital functions and a complete nutritional formula for Maine Coons should contain an adapted balance of nutrients. Feeding them in this way will offer a diet that’s neither deficient nor excessive, both of which could have adverse effects on your cat’s health. Clean, fresh water should be available at all times to support good urinary regularity. Cats are also naturally adapted to eating small servings - between 7 and 10 times a day. Giving them the recommended daily ration of kibble once a day will let your Maine Coon regulate their consumption.

Growth for the Maine Coon kitten is exceptionally long, laying down the framework for the breed's unique large stature. At the same time, they become much larger, very quickly, than standard kittens: a 3-month-old Maine Coon kitten can weigh almost 2kg, which is roughly twice as much as kittens of other breeds! The Maine Coon kitten’s growth comes in two phases:

Construction - From Birth to 4 Months

Weaning is the transition a kitten makes from liquid - or maternal milk - to solid food. This period naturally corresponds to the time when they cut their milk teeth, at 3 to 6 weeks old. At this stage kittens are not yet able to crunch, so a soft meal (rehydrated kibble or an adapted wet food) helps facilitate the transition between liquids and solids. Between 4 and 12 weeks after birth, the natural immunity a kitten receives from the mother’s colostrum - or first milk - decreases while the kitten’s immune system gradually develops. This critical time, called the immunity gap, requires a complex of antioxidants, including vitamin E, to help support their natural defences. Kittens go through an intense and particularly delicate period of growth during which they’re prone to digestive upset. Their diet at this time should not only be rich in energy to meet their essential growth needs but should also contain highly digestible protein to cater to their digestive system that’s still maturing. Prebiotics, such as fructo-oligosaccharides, can also aid their digestive health by helping to support intestinal flora. The result? Good stool quality, all around. The kitten’s food should contain omega 3 fatty acids - EPA-DHA - which helps support the proper neuro-cerebral development.

On top of maintaining a healthy urinary function as for all cats, the main nutritional goals for adult Maine Coons are:

Supporting the joints of a powerful skeleton thanks to chondroitin sulfate, glucosamine, and EPA-DHA. Big, heavy and powerful, the Maine Coon demands a great deal of their joints.

Watching out for their heart with adapted levels of magnesium, sodium, potassium, arginine, EPA-DHA, taurine, L-carnitine, and antioxidants. Despite their imposing physique, Maine Coons may be prone to certain problems such as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, or a hardening of the walls of the heart.

Helping to preserve the health of their skin and the beauty of their magnificent coat, with the enriched addition of targeted nutrients that reinforce the skin’s role as a barrier

Supporting good oral hygiene thanks to a kibble shape adapted to their large square jaw with a texture that induces chewing

A senior cat - one over the age of 12 - may sometimes have difficulties with absorption. To maintain the weight of the ageing cat and minimise the risk of deficiency, they should be given an extremely digestible food filled with essential nutrients.

As they get older, cats increasingly suffer from teeth problems, and in some senior cats, the sense of taste and smell may decline as well, which can lead to a lowered intake of food. To ensure they continue to eat enough, the shape, size, and hardness - meaning texture - of their kibble needs to be tailored to their now potentially more fragile jaw.

Note that the best energy level for any cat still depends on their lifestyle, even those who are ageing. A senior cat that continues to go out regularly will benefit from a diet with a slightly higher fat content. On the other hand, ageing does not reduce an indoor cat’s risk of obesity. Their calorie intake should still be closely monitored. A food with a moderate fat content then may be optimal.