Maine Coon is a cat that has been very popular lately. This breed differs from others in large size, character and behavior. But raising a beautiful and healthy animal is not so simple. The fact is that such a cat especially needs a carefully balanced diet. The advice of experienced veterinarians presented here will help you choose the right food for Maine Coons.
What to feed?
Most owners of cats of this breed make a huge mistake, believing that an animal can eat any food, even the one that people eat themselves. This is not true, and such a diet can lead to great health problems. Only a properly balanced menu, preferably made from natural products, will help to grow an animal without health problems, with a silky coat and a playful character.
The main nuance that should be taken into account when choosing food for Maine Coons is that the stomach of representatives of this breed is quite conservative, so it is strictly forbidden to mix types of food. If you started to feed your pet with natural food, then do not add artificial mixtures to the menu. This is also the case with dry food. Starting to feed the animal with a special mix for Maine Coons, you do not need to indulge it with natural food - this will bring down the balance of minerals and vitamins.
The right diet since childhood
Maine Coon cat, the price of which varies within 500 euros, is quite an expensive animal. Accordingly, care for his health should be in the first place, and the correct diet of the kitten will be the key to excellent health for life. It should be remembered that the nutrition of the little Maine Coon is fundamentally different from the diet of an adult. A kitten under the age of 4 months must be fed at least 4–5 times a day, and especially large babies should eat 6 times, every 4 hours.
At this age, you need to decide what you are going to feed your pet in the future: artificial mixtures or natural food. If this is a dry food, then you need to gradually increase the amount of the mixture, because the kittens grow quickly enough, and hunger can come much earlier. In the first few days it is better to soften artificial food with boiled water, and only then gradually transfer the kitten to completely dry food. When choosing a natural food for Maine Coons, it should be remembered that food can be given to an animal only in raw, boiled or steamed form.
Gradual introduction of foods to the diet
After three weeks of age, it is worth starting to wean the kitten from mother's milk and introduce adult food into the diet. Raw beef is perfect for this. Scrape off a small piece of frozen meat, wait until it thaws and give it to the pet. It is worth increasing the volume of food gradually, adding a portion every day. If the kitten does not have digestive problems, then after a few days you can add a little low-fat cream to the menu. And after a couple of days it is worth feeding the kitten with egg yolk. If there are no problems with the intestines, then you can introduce cottage cheese and other products into the diet.
The best food for the kitten will be porridge cooked on chicken broth and seasoned with finely crushed boiled fillet. To avoid stomach problems, it is best to give food warm. Doing everything right, after a month you can notice how the Maine Coon kitten grew up. The sizes of these animals are quite impressive, respectively, and it costs more to feed them than ordinary cat representatives. Once a day, give a little Maine Coon a piece of scalded beef - this will help improve the condition of the animal’s teeth.
Allowed Products
The breed of Maine Coon cats is quite outstanding, and it is worth feeding them only with correctly selected food, for this food from the owner's table will not work. The meat should be purchased only from trusted sellers and before feeding it to the animal in its raw form, it should be frozen for at least 5 days - this will destroy the parasites. Preferred varieties: rabbit, beef, turkey or chicken. You can also give offal, such as the liver, heart, kidneys. But it is worth considering that the caloric content of such food is significantly reduced, therefore, the portions should be increased in volume. And of course, food should not contain salt or spices. It is better to feed meat products with cereals boiled on water, because cereals are needed in the animal's diet. But you should avoid hercules, leading to a violation of the carbohydrate balance.
Sour-milk products, such as cottage cheese, sour cream, kefir or natural yogurt without additives, must be present on the Maine Coon menu - the cat has a weak intestine, and such food helps stimulate the microflora. It is worth remembering that a little fat should be present in these products. The only thing to avoid is milk, because it is poorly absorbed by such animals. Be sure to include in the diet raw or boiled vegetables, such as cauliflower, carrots, tomatoes, pumpkin, cucumbers, beets and others. They should be mixed with meat instead of porridge in a ratio of 1 to 2. Be sure to add chicken or quail eggs to the diet.
Prohibited Products
Fish is not recommended - a high fluorine content can cause urolithiasis, especially for castrated animals. An exception may be marine varieties, not more than once a week. It is strictly forbidden to give Maine Coons chicken or fish bones - this leads to damage to the stomach and esophagus. Due to the fat content, pork is not suitable. The ban includes fried, salted, smoked, peppered dishes, sausages, canned food. Also, cats should not be given sweets, such as cakes, sweets, chocolate and more. Potatoes should be avoided from vegetables, because starch is not absorbed by the intestines of such animals. You should not add legumes such as beans, peas, or soybeans to the Maine Coon menu.
Maine Coon Artificial Food
Ready-made artificial mixtures are a huge time saver. But for Maine Coon cats, cheap and widely publicized feeds such as Whiskas, Friskis, or Kitket will not work. This is a completely low-quality product in which skins, bones or feathers are used to fill the protein, and such nutrition can lead to various diseases.
Dry mix should be purchased only from trusted manufacturers that use offal for filling, for example Royal Canin, Eagle Pack, Hills, Nutro, Iams, Eukanuba. These companies specialize in Maine Coon feed. The coat, appetite, health and playfulness of an animal that eats such mixtures are worthy of all praise. But you do not need to mix feeds from different manufacturers, because this can bring down a carefully calculated balance of minerals, vitamins and nutrients.