Best food for Maine Coon kitten and how much to feed?

MaineCoonMom32

TCS Member
Thread starter
Kitten
Joined
Jun 9, 2021
Messages
9
Purraise
23
Hi all,
I'm a new cat mom to a 7 month old Maine Coon. I have a couple of questions within one thread. I hope it's okay.

In talking to my vet, she recommended I feed 1/4 of a can of wet food three times a day. However, my kitten is wanting closer to 3-4 cans a day (of the small 3 oz size) and eating 4-5 times a day. In looking at the feeding guidelines on many of the cans, the kitten seems to be on par with their instructions. Am I correct in assuming that my vet's recommendation was a little bit off? She's already 9.2 lbs but she doesn't look overweight. She also said to switch to adult food at 1 year whereas I'm reading not to do so until around 18 months for them (because it takes them so long to reach maturity). Does anyone have any insight?

We are currently alternating between Purina Pro Plan kitten true nature and Blue Buffalo high protein kitten. I'm feeding wet only but it's seeming like these are probably not the best and healthiest options for her. Does anyone have any recommendations for foods that may be better? Money really isn't an issue. I've been looking at a few boutique brands like Rawz and Fromme but I really don't know what she may like (she does seem to prefer salmon to chicken, though).


Here's a obligatory photo because she's so beautiful :)

image0.jpeg
 

tarasgirl06

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Sep 19, 2006
Messages
24,708
Purraise
64,893
Location
Glendale, CATifornia
Hi all,
I'm a new cat mom to a 7 month old Maine Coon. I have a couple of questions within one thread. I hope it's okay.

In talking to my vet, she recommended I feed 1/4 of a can of wet food three times a day. However, my kitten is wanting closer to 3-4 cans a day (of the small 3 oz size) and eating 4-5 times a day. In looking at the feeding guidelines on many of the cans, the kitten seems to be on par with their instructions. Am I correct in assuming that my vet's recommendation was a little bit off? She's already 9.2 lbs but she doesn't look overweight. She also said to switch to adult food at 1 year whereas I'm reading not to do so until around 18 months for them (because it takes them so long to reach maturity). Does anyone have any insight?

We are currently alternating between Purina Pro Plan kitten true nature and Blue Buffalo high protein kitten. I'm feeding wet only but it's seeming like these are probably not the best and healthiest options for her. Does anyone have any recommendations for foods that may be better? Money really isn't an issue. I've been looking at a few boutique brands like Rawz and Fromme but I really don't know what she may like (she does seem to prefer salmon to chicken, though).


Here's a obligatory photo because she's so beautiful :)

View attachment 383767
Hello MaineCoonMom32 MaineCoonMom32 and beautiful little girl, and welcome to TCS! Both of those are good brands and good on you for feeding her kitten foods. IMHO you are right and the vet is very wrong. 3 oz. a day? That's nowhere near enough. Three 3-oz. cans a day minimum would be what I would feed.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #3

MaineCoonMom32

TCS Member
Thread starter
Kitten
Joined
Jun 9, 2021
Messages
9
Purraise
23
Hello MaineCoonMom32 MaineCoonMom32 and beautiful little girl, and welcome to TCS! Both of those are good brands and good on you for feeding her kitten foods. IMHO you are right and the vet is very wrong. 3 oz. a day? That's nowhere near enough. Three 3-oz. cans a day minimum would be what I would feed.
Thank you so much! I’m happy to hear those are good brands for her to be eating. I will continue with those then. I’m glad to know my instinct was right in that I should feed her a lot more than what the vet advised. And, thank you for the warm welcome. :)
 

Maurey

Maine Coon Madness
Top Cat
Joined
Jan 21, 2021
Messages
1,592
Purraise
1,822
Definitely feed your kitten as much as she wants to eat. Imo, though, no reason to keep feeding kitten food at her age — you can find adult food that’s similarly calorically dense, and adult foods tend to have a better range of food in high quality.

I’d definitely move to a different food though, even if you want to keep feeding kitten food; the blue buffalo has carrageenan and guar gum, both of which are considered potentially harmful binders (especially carrageenan), as well as potatoes, which a cat doesn’t need in their diet; Purina one kitten recipes are a bit overpriced for the quality, imo, and also have guar gum. At the very least, I’d get rid of the BB.

Rawz is one of the best foods out there, imo, and is a wonderful choice as part of a rotation, if you’re able to find it locally.

Keep in mind that fish shouldn’t be fed as a primary food, and should be reserved for occasional treats, especially in a breed somewhat predisposed to kidney issues. Fish is high in phosphorous, and fish-based foods can have a poor calcium to phosphorous ratio, as well as heavy metals. Fish can also cause dependence/addiction in cats, and may cause them to refuse other foods. I mainly keep fish for very high value treats, or to encourage eating if one of my cats is feeling a bit under the weather and doesn’t want to eat.
 
Last edited:
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #5

MaineCoonMom32

TCS Member
Thread starter
Kitten
Joined
Jun 9, 2021
Messages
9
Purraise
23
Definitely feed your kitten as much as she wants to eat. Imo, though, no reason to keep feeding kitten food at her age — you can find adult food that’s similarly calorically dense, and adult foods tend to have a better range of food in high quality.

I’d definitely move to a different food though, even if you want to keep feeding kitten food; the blue buffalo has carrageenan and guar gum, both of which are considered potentially harmful binders (especially carrageenan), as well as potatoes, which a cat doesn’t need in their diet; Purina one kitten recipes are a bit overpriced for the quality, imo, and also have guar gum. At the very least, I’d get rid of the BB.

Rawz is one of the best foods out there, imo, and is a wonderful choice as part of a rotation, if you’re able to find it locally.

Keep in mind that fish shouldn’t be fed as a primary food, and should be reserved for occasional treats, especially in a breed somewhat predisposed to kidney issues. Fish is high in phosphorous, and fish-based foods can have a poor calcium to phosphate ratio, as well as heavy metals. Fish can also cause dependence/addiction in cats, and may cause them to refuse other foods. I mainly keep fish for very high value treats, or to encourage eating if one of my cats is feeling a bit under the weather and doesn’t want to eat.
Thanks for your reply! That’s good info on switching to adult food. I’ve seen that there’s definitely a lack of variety for kitten specific food. Many of the high end brands seem to say something like, “formulated for all life stages”.

I definitely need to do more research because I had no idea about carrageenan and guar guar. Thanks so much for sharing that info. And you’re right about the potatoes, as well. No need for added carbs. I also had no idea about feeding fish in their diets. Thank you for that info! What would be the ideal protein choice for everyday feeding? I’m seeing duck, Turkey, chicken, venison, and rabbit. Would it be harmful to do a varied rotation of multiple proteins?

I’m glad to hear that Rawz has a good reputation! I do have a store not too far away that carries it.
 

Maurey

Maine Coon Madness
Top Cat
Joined
Jan 21, 2021
Messages
1,592
Purraise
1,822
A mix of proteins is good to feed, and that selection is popular for a reason. Personally, I prefer sticking to prey items small enough that a domestic cat would be able to hunt on their own where possible, but that’s just me. The only potential concern is that, ideally, you want an easily accessible novel protein(I.e.one your cat has never eaten before) you can find easily with a limited ingredient food, on the off chance your cat develops an allergy in the future.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #7

MaineCoonMom32

TCS Member
Thread starter
Kitten
Joined
Jun 9, 2021
Messages
9
Purraise
23
A mix of proteins is good to feed, and that selection is popular for a reason. Personally, I prefer sticking to prey items small enough that a domestic cat would be able to hunt on their own where possible, but that’s just me. The only potential concern is that, ideally, you want an easily accessible novel protein(I.e.one your cat has never eaten before) you can find easily with a limited ingredient food, on the off chance your cat develops an allergy in the future.
Ah, that makes sense. Thank you! I will be sure to look for a limited ingredient food if introducing a new protein. I think we’ll give the Rawz a try and go from there.
 

Maurey

Maine Coon Madness
Top Cat
Joined
Jan 21, 2021
Messages
1,592
Purraise
1,822
Oh, to clarify — you want to avoid feeding one of the proteins that’s easily accessible to you in a LID formulation to switch her over to if she starts showing symptoms of allergy or tummy upset that’s suspected to be IBD. (E.g. don’t feed foods with rabbit to “reserve” that food if she ever starts having tummy/allergy troubles) As it is, no inherent need to feed LID, though avoiding excessive amounts of fruits vegetables in cat food is a good idea.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #9

MaineCoonMom32

TCS Member
Thread starter
Kitten
Joined
Jun 9, 2021
Messages
9
Purraise
23
Oh, to clarify — you want to avoid feeding one of the proteins that’s easily accessible to you in a LID formulation to switch her over to if she starts showing symptoms of allergy or tummy upset that’s suspected to be IBD. (E.g. don’t feed foods with rabbit to “reserve” that food if she ever starts having tummy/allergy troubles) As it is, no inherent need to feed LID, though avoiding excessive amounts of fruits vegetables in cat food is a good idea.
Ohh, okay. Thank you for that clarification!
 
Top