The Best Cat Food For Maine Coon Adults And Kittens | Ratings and Reviews

As one of the larger domestic cat breeds, you can imagine that when it comes to nutrition, Maine Coons have special needs.

The best cat foods for Maine Coons have much to do with not only sating their voracious appetite, but keeping them healthy and beautiful. This is a unique pet, that will thrive with proper care and nutrition.

The wrong food for any kind of cat can have disastrous consequences, so be sure you’re not picking something full of fillers and other rubbish that won’t meet Kitty’s nutrient requirements.

If you “settle” for a lower quality option, you could literally be taking years off your furry feline friend’s life.

In terms of domesticated felines, the Maine Coon is one of the largest breeds, meaning it will need to eat more food than most other kitties.

A human-grade cat food tops our list for these beautiful cats. If you are lucky enough to own one, you know they deserve the best.

Our review process is unbiased and based on extensive research. If you buy through the links on our site, we may earn a commission.

Our review process is unbiased and based on extensive research. If you buy through the links on our site, we may earn a commission.

Ratings Of The Best Cat Food For Maine Coons

Best Wet Food

Feline Natural

  • Very limited ingredient
  • Near-perfect macronutrients
  • Green lipped mussel for joint health

Best Dry Food

Wysong Epigen 90

  • High protein
  • Almost no fillers
  • Nutrient dense

Dr. Elsey’s cleanprotein

  • Excellent nutrient content
  • No added carbs
  • High-quality ingredients

Best Freeze-Dried

Vital Essentials Mini Patties

  • Close to Wild Diet
  • Biologically appropriate
  • More than one organ meat

Reviews Of The Best Cat Food For Maine Coon Cats

To keep your Maine Coon happy and healthy, you need to feed it a biologically appropriate diet.

That means it must be:

  • High in protein
  • Low in carbohydrates
  • Moderate in fats

It should also be:

  • Full of real, named meat ingredients, including organs
  • Absent of fillers like corn, wheat, and starches
  • Full of vitamins and nutrients, or whole food versions that contain them

With that, here are our reviews.

EDITOR’S CHOICE FOR BEST WET FOOD

#1. Feline Natural Grain-Free New Zealand Chicken & Venison

Macronutrients on a dry-matter basis:

  • Protein: 51.43%
  • Fat: 28.57%
  • Carbs: 7.43%

First 4 ingredients: Chicken, Chicken Heart, Venison Kidney, Venison Liver

One of the best canned foods you can choose, Feline Natural puts together a recipe full of various cuts of chicken and venison, including organs, which are super healthy for your cat.

It also includes New Zealand Green Lipped Mussels, a very unique cat food ingredient. This is a great addition because it is:

  • another animal-based ingredient
  • great for joint-health
  • made from free-range, grass-fed chicken 

There are really no artificial ingredients, additives, preservatives, or gelling agents.

The only drawback is it is a bit pricey. 

​>> Tap here to see our full review of Feline Natural! <<

EDITOR’S CHOICE FOR BEST DRY FOOD

#2. Wysong Epigen 90 Starch Free

Macronutrients on a dry-matter basis:

  • Protein: 70%
  • Fat: 17.8%
  • Carbs: 0%

First 4 ingredients: Chicken Meal, Organic Chicken, Meat Protein Isolate, Chicken Fat

While we recommend feeding wet food most of the time, since cats require a lot of moisture, but don’t have a strong thirst drive, this is the best of the dry foods out there.

Add a bit of water to it before feeding to make it even more appropriate to your cat’s needs.

Otherwise, it’s a show stopper.

Whereas most kibbles fail to break 40 or 50% protein, this one puts them all to shame with 70%.

It also has no carbs, and even uses gelatin as a binding agent, instead of a plant based or synthetic option, which is more popular.

The “meat protein isolate” sounds like a big no-no, since it’s an unnamed meat, but Wysong says it’s 100% pork isolate, and they’ve only labeled that because they interpret labeling laws in such a way that makes that the correct way to put it on the label.

Definitely one of the best choices if you feed dry.

​>> Tap here to see our full review of Wysong <<

#3. Dr. Elsey’s cleanprotein Chicken

Macronutrients on a dry-matter basis:

  • Protein: 67.05%
  • Fat: 20.45%
  • Carbs: 0%

First 4 ingredients: Chicken, Dried Egg Product, Pork Protein Isolate, Gelatin

We were surprised to see a real challenger to our #1 Wysong pick, but Dr. Elsey’s has delivered.

With chicken and pork protein isolate, they pack a huge amount of animal protein in right at the start.

Egg is a very bioavailable protein, full of amino acids and very digestible.

Again with no carbs, we see a very biologically appropriate macronutrient profile, close to what kitty would eat in the wild, as discussed above.

It has a lot of added vitamins and nutrients, but no digestive enzymes or probiotics, like our #1 pick.

It’s a fantastic option if your cat doesn’t like the taste of the Wysong brand for some reason, or if the shape of it isn’t right.

​>> Tap here to see our full review of Dr. Elsey’s <<

EDITOR’S CHOICE FOR BEST FREEZE-DRIED FOOD

#4. Vital Essentials Mini Patties Rabbit

Macronutrients on a dry-matter basis:

  • Protein: 56.52%
  • Fat: 16.30%
  • Carbs: 14.13%

First 4 ingredients: Finely Ground Whole Rabbit, Rabbit Heart, Rabbit Liver, Rabbit Lungs

We believe that freeze-dried food has the potential to be the closest to a wild diet for your kitty.

The way the process is done locks in nutrients and flavors. 

When you add water to “re-animate” it, you fulfill the moisture requirements, making it just about perfect.

This starts off with whole ground rabbit. That’s basically what your cat would eat in the wild.

It just so happens to be whole ground, for easier digestibility and eating.

It’s also full of additional organ meat.

The carbohydrate content seems to come from the raw goat’s milk (which is actually quite good for cats, since it’s unpasteurized and contains the enzyme that helps them break down lactose), so there are no added plants here.

Overall, this is highly appropriate for a feline.

And remember, the cost per pound goes down significantly when you add water to it. Your cat isn’t going through the package in a couple of bites, since it will expand and go further when rehydrated. Therefore the higher apparent cost per pound is a bit of a false signal.

About as close as you can get to a proper wild diet from a commercial pet food!

​>> Tap here to see our full review of Vital Essentials <<

Here’s Why We’re Qualified To Talk To You About This…

We put together a massive internal database (which we’ll be releasing to the public soon), of over 2000 cat foods.

We collected data from calories to macronutrients to ingredients to how they compare to the average.

We then used both formulas and a bit of common sense to score each food out of 5.

We looked at studies to find out what cats should really eat. 

Basically, we have dedicated hundreds of hours, now, to cat food research, and have the data to back it up!

Do Maine Coons Need Specific Food?

Yes, but no. 

Right. Here’s what I mean.

Some brands have “Maine Coon Specific” dry food options. 

However, these “specialty” foods are typically full of horrible ingredients like corn and “meat by-products”, which are absolutely not appropriate for your cat’s nutritional needs.

Sure, they may be a slightly larger kibble due to your cat’s larger size, but that’s has nothing to do with nutritional needs.

If your Maine Coon kitty has a hard time with kibble, then we recommend either trying her out on one of our two top choices, OR, if she still can’t get enough to eat, or has problems chewing, just go straight to a wet-only diet.

Canned food has more moisture, which cats have a hard time getting if they eat dry food (they don’t usually drink enough water). It may also be easier to eat than a hard kibble for Maine Coons.

But, when it comes to “breed specific” food, that’s as far as we’re willing to go.

Here’s where we may challenge what you’ve been told to believe…(sorry!)…

Different breeds of cats are really only different in terms of their looks, not their physiology or digestion.

Just like homo sapiens (humans) can have different hair colors, skin colors, eye colors, body sizes, or body shapes, yet still remain human and have the same nutritional needs, cats can look a bit different, yet be pretty much the same “under the hood”.

That means that your precious Maine Coon isn’t that much different than a flat-faced Persian, or a sly Siamese.

They all require the same, basic, non-complicated nutrient profile.

What Do Cats Eat In The Wild?

It’s important to learn what cats eat in the wild because…

Domestic cats are descendants of wild cats, and they are not very different biologically. 

There just hasn’t been enough time or environmental pressure for them to evolve significantly.

Therefore, what a cat chooses to eat in the wild, should be pretty close to perfect, since eating the right food is just about the most important, primary drive for any animal.

Luckily, research has been done on this.

To start, let’s look at domestic cats.

In one study, when given the option between a number of commercial pet foods, cats tended to eat the foods that gave them the following macronutrient breakdown (dry matter basis):

  • 52% protein
  • 36% fat
  • 12% carbohydrate

That’s pretty different than most pet foods…especially the brands who claim they make “breed-specific” foods.

Ok, now let’s look at the data from a compilation of studies on wild cats.

These studies all looked at feral or stray cat populations.

The results of these surveys should basically show us exactly what cats should be eating in the wild.

They covered multiple continents and a variety of environments (near the sea, rural, urban, etc.).

Here’s the macronutrient breakdown, on average, of what cats eat in the wild (dry matter basis):

  • 63% protein
  • 23% fat
  • 3% carbs

Wow!

So much different than most commercial pet foods.

What you should be looking for, then, is a high protein, moderate fat, low carbohydrate food.

That food should get most or all of it’s protein from named meat sources (i.e., chicken, not “meat by-products”).

After all, the foods cats were eating in the wild were almost exclusively animals. Rats, mice, rabbits, birds…(surprisingly, not a lot of fish!).

It should have minimal fillers (things like corn, rice, wheat, etc.).

OK, So Now What?

Alright, so we could have just picked some random foods and told you they were “perfectly designed” for your special kitty.

Buuut, that would be totally wrong and unethical.

It’s up to you whether you believe us and the data, or whether you believe the big companies who tell you that “breed specific” foods should be full of corn, by-products, and other junk.

If you’re ready to leave the bogus marketing terms behind, read on below to find out our top recommended wet, dry, and freeze-dried food options for your special kitty!

Maine Coon Cat Info and Health Issues

The official cat of the state of Maine, this exotic looking breed is also referred to as the gentle giant. They are big, but they are very sociable, making them an ideal cat for indoor living.

The large, almost dog like body is supported by a robust bone structure and rectangular shaped body. The tail is long and bushy, matching the silky long coat, which is typically brown tabby in color.

Unlike other cat breeds, which reach maturity by the end of their first year, a Maine Coon does not reach their full size until between 3 and 5 years of age.

Males can weigh up to 18 pounds at maturity (or even more!), while a female averages about 10 pounds. With their larger than average size, you can only imagine that their diet must be higher in calories than other breeds.

Unfortunately, due to their size, certain health problems are prevalent in the Maine Coon.

Specifically hip dysplasia and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a heart condition which can be life threatening if not treated.

Although these issues are screened by reputable breeders, a Maine Coon could still be susceptible to them. If you wish to protect the health and prolong the life of your Maine Coon, take the time to read through our reviews for Maine Coon cat food and choose one of our recommendations above.

A Bit More Reading..

We found these sources an interesting “gateway”, if you will, to the world of breed specific cat food and just how silly it is.

Emily Parker

Emily Parker is the Content Manager at Catological. She's passionate about helping cat parents love their cats better by providing the best information and recommendations about everything you'll need to know about your cat, from kitten to senior years. She believes natural, biologically-appropriate products are best...why wouldn't you provide the best for a member of your family?!