Catster is reader-supported. When you buy via links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission at no cost to you. Learn more.

9 Best Cat Foods for Maine Coons in 2024: Reviews & Top Picks

Written by: Christian Adams

Last Updated on March 14, 2024 by Catster Editorial Team

maine coon cat eating

9 Best Cat Foods for Maine Coons in 2024: Reviews & Top Picks

maine coon cat eating

Maine Coon cats are the big, handsome fluffballs of the cat world. They have great personalities; however, the Maine Coon coat is thick and requires upkeep. These cats are naturally large, but that doesn’t mean they should be overweight or obese. Coat problems and weight issues can lead to illness and discomfort for your cat, and the wrong diet can lead to other problems as well. Meanwhile, there’s no “one-size-fits-all” diet for cats. Some breeds have specific needs. The basis for every healthy Maine Coon is a healthy diet that supports its large body and healthy coat.

We sorted through all the options and found the best products on the market. These reviews of the best foods for Maine Coon cats are a guide for finding the perfect food to support your Maine Coon’s health, energy, and happiness.

cat paw divider

A Quick Glance at Our Favorites in 2024

Image Product Details
Best Overall
Winner
Smalls Human-Grade Fresh Cat Food Subscription Service Smalls Human-Grade Fresh Cat Food Subscription Service
  • Contains organ meat
  • High in protein
  • Tasty & no fillers
  • Budget Buy
    Second place
    Diamond Naturals Premium Real Meat Indoor Cat Food Diamond Naturals Premium Real Meat Indoor Cat Food
  • Supports healthy weight
  • High fiber
  • Probiotics and prebiotics support GI health
  • Third place
    Blue Buffalo Wilderness Indoor Hairball & Weight Control Blue Buffalo Wilderness Indoor Hairball & Weight Control
  • Deboned chicken is first ingredient
  • High protein
  • Supports healthy weight
  • Stella and Chewy Dinner Morsels Freeze-Dried Raw Stella and Chewy Dinner Morsels Freeze-Dried Raw
  • Very high protein
  • Probiotics support GI health
  • Grain free with high levels of taurine
  • Tiki Cat Aloha Friends Variety Pack Tiki Cat Aloha Friends Variety Pack
  • Supports hairball prevention
  • Contains whole ingredients
  • First ingredients are flaked tuna and tuna broth
  • The 9 Best Foods for Maine Coon Cats

    1. Smalls Human-Grade Fresh Cat Food Subscription Service – Best Overall

    smalls freeze-dried raw other bird and bird with tabby cat

    Chicken is one of the most popular cat proteins out there for a good reason. It provides cats with everything they need to thrive and is very accessible. In the United States, chicken isn’t very hard to find. Smalls Ground Bird is made up of mostly chicken. Based on the ingredient list, it appears that nearly the whole chicken is used, including the chicken heart.

    Based on this information, this food seems to be the perfect choice for your Maine Coon. It provides a high amount of protein that is essential for supporting your cat’s higher energy levels.

    If your Maine Coon is overweight like many of them out there, then this high-protein formula may also help them shed some pounds. It does not include any of the fillers that are common in cat food, so it contains fewer empty calories that may contribute to your cat’s obesity.

    To conclude, we think this is the overall best food for Maine Coon cats this year.

    Pros
    • Contains organ meat
    • High in protein
    • Tasty
    • No fillers
    Cons
    • Expensive

    2. Diamond Naturals Premium Real Meat Indoor Cat Food – Budget Buy

    Diamond Naturals High Protein Premium Formulas Dry Cat Food_Amazon

    The best food for Maine Coon cats for the money is the Diamond Naturals Premium Real Meat Indoor Cat food. This dry food is made to support a healthy weight for indoor cats and has chicken meal and cage-free chicken as the first two ingredients. It has 32% protein, 14% fat, and 8% fiber. It contains whole food ingredients like dried kelp, pumpkin, and carrots, as well as live prebiotic and probiotic strains from healthy bacteria like lactobacillus plantarum, bacillus subtilis, and lactobacillus acidophilus. The probiotics and high fiber support hairball prevention and gastrointestinal health.

    When it comes to finding a good value, we think this is the best cat food for Maine Coons.

    Pros
    • Chicken meal and cage-free chicken are first two ingredients
    • Supports healthy weight for indoor cats
    • High fiber supports hairball prevention
    • Probiotics and prebiotics support GI health
    • Omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids support skin and coat health
    Cons
    • Moderate fat content
    • Lower protein than some dry foods

    3. Blue Buffalo Wilderness Indoor Hairball & Weight Control 

    blue buffalo cat food_Chewy

    Another top choice for your Maine Coon is Blue Buffalo’s Wilderness Indoor Hairball & Weight Control. This dry food will help support your cat’s coat and help them stay at a healthy weight. It features deboned chicken as the first ingredient and has 36% protein, 12% fat, and 7.2% fiber. This food includes omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids sourced from Menhaden fish meal and flaxseed to support healthy skin and coat. The fiber in this food, which comes from powdered cellulose and psyllium seed husks, will help prevent hairballs and constipation, both of which can be a big problem for Maine Coons because of their thick, long coat. This food sits around the middle of the cost spectrum.

    Pros
    • Deboned chicken is first ingredient
    • High protein
    • Supports healthy weight for indoor cats
    • High fiber supports hairball prevention
    • Lower fat than many dry foods
    • Omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids support skin and coat health
    Cons
    • Moderate cost

    4. Stella and Chewy Dinner Morsels Freeze-Dried Raw

    Stella & Chewy Dinner Morsels

    For a premium cat food pick for your Maine Coon, try the Stella and Chewy Dinner Morsels Freeze-Dried Raw food. This food is a premium price but contains 98% ground meat, organs, and bone with the first six ingredients being a meat or organ source. It is shaped into small, freeze-dried morsels that should be rehydrated before feeding. For people who prefer to feed raw, this food provides a safe option that doesn’t involve handling and serving raw meats that are not intended to be served raw, like meats from grocery stores. This food has 40% protein, 30% fat, and 5% fiber, so it is much higher in protein and fat than many other foods. It supports cats’ natural need for whole protein sources, including organs and bone. This food is grain free, has high levels of taurine to support heart health, and contains probiotics to support GI health, which is all that you need in a Maine coon diet.

    Pros
    • First six ingredients are whole protein sources
    • Very high protein
    • Freeze-dried to make feeding raw safer
    • Supports natural need for whole protein sources including organs and bone
    • Probiotics support GI health
    • Grain free with high levels of taurine
    Cons
    • Premium price
    • Higher in fat than many foods
    • Lower in fiber than many other foods

    Related Read: Stella and Chewy’s Cat Food Reviews: Recalls, Pros & Cons


    5. Tiki Cat Aloha Friends Variety Pack

    Tiki Cat Aloha Friends Variety Pack cat food_Chewy

    The Tiki Cat Aloha Friends Variety Pack is a great wet food option for Maine Coons that prefer a little variety in their food. This pack contains tuna with tilapia and pumpkin, tuna ocean whitefish and pumpkin, tuna with shrimp and pumpkin, and tuna with calamari and pumpkin. Flaked tuna and tuna broth are the first two ingredients in each formulation, and they all offer 11% protein, 1.8% fat, and 0.5% fiber. Each contains pumpkin, which helps with hairball prevention and GI health. One main benefit of feeding wet food is that it helps to ensure your cat is getting enough water, which helps support urinary and GI health. This food contains real ingredients, like whole pieces of shrimp and calamari. This pack is not very expensive, but if you feed wet food as a primary food source, then it will get very expensive since many Maine Coons will require 4-6 cans or more daily.

    Pros
    • Provides variety
    • First ingredients are flaked tuna and tuna broth
    • Supports hairball prevention and GI health
    • Wet food increases water intake and supports GI and urinary health
    • Contains whole ingredients
    Cons
    • Expensive as main food source
    • Low in fiber

    6. Solid Gold Fit as a Fiddle with Alaskan Pollock

    Solid Gold cat food_Amazon

    Solid Gold’s Fit as a Fiddle with Alaskan Pollock is a great food for overweight or low-activity Maine Coons, but also works well to prevent inappropriate weight gain and obesity. The first two ingredients in this dry food are pollock and turkey meal and it has 31% protein, 9% fat, and 9% fiber, making it lower fat and higher fiber than many dry foods. This helps improve satiety without leading to weight gain. Healthy skin and coat are supported by the pollock, olive oil, and salmon oil in this food, while prebiotics and probiotics help maintain GI health. It is moderately priced and while kitties seem to find the smell appealing, some people may find the fishy smell of the food off-putting. This food is not a great option for young, active cats due to its low protein and calorie content.

    Pros
    • First ingredients are pollock and turkey meal
    • Low in fat to support weight loss
    • High in fiber to support satiety and GI health
    • Supports healthy skin and coat
    • Prebiotics and probiotics for GI health
    Cons
    • Moderate cost
    • Not a good option for active and young cats
    • Fishy smell
    • Lower protein than many dry foods

    7. Instinct Raw Boost Grain Free Recipe with Real Duck

    Instinct Raw Boost Grain Free Dry Cat Food_Amazon

    The Instinct Raw Boost Grain Free Recipe with Real Duck is a nice alternative to feeding a wholly raw diet. This dry food contains bite-sized freeze-dried raw pieces that do not require rehydration, so it is the best of both worlds. It has 43% protein, 20% fat, and 4% fiber and the first four ingredients are duck, turkey meal, chicken meal, and menhaden fish meal. This food is a good option for young cats that are active, and it is grain-free. It has probiotics to support healthy digestion and helps prevent hairballs. It also supports healthy skin and coat and contains multiple protein sources, including whole animal sources like bone and organs.

    Pros
    • First four ingredients are meat-based
    • High in protein
    • Good pick for active and young cats
    • Supports healthy skin and coat
    • Probiotics for GI health
    Cons
    • Moderate cost
    • Not a good option for senior and overweight cats
    • Higher in fat than many normal dry foods
    • Lower in fiber than many normal dry foods

    8. Royal Canin Feline Breed Maine Coon Canned Cat Food

    royal canin cat food_Chewy

    The Royal Canin Feline Breed Maine Coon Canned Cat Food is a healthy wet food option that is made specifically with Maine Coons in mind. The first two ingredients in this food are water and chicken, and it has 8.5% protein, 2.8% fat, and 2.2% fiber. This food includes glucosamine and chondroitin for joint support, which is especially important for these big kitties. It also supports healthy skin and coat with omega fatty acids and contains l-carnitine to help your cat metabolize fat. This food will quickly get expensive if you feed it as the primary food for your Maine Coon because most Maine Coon cats will need 3-5 cans a day.

    Pros
    • Second ingredient is chicken
    • Low in fat
    • Supports bone and joint health
    • Supports healthy skin and coat
    • Supports efficient metabolism of fat
    Cons
    • First ingredient is water
    • Expensive as main food source
    • Low in fiber
    • Lower in protein than some other wet food options

    9. Nutro Wholesome Essentials Indoor Recipe Chicken and Brown Rice

    nutro essential cat food_Chewy

    The Nutro Wholesome Essentials Indoor Recipe Chicken and Brown Rice is a dry food with chicken and chicken meal as the first two ingredients. It has 33% protein, 16% fat, and 7% fiber, making it a lower protein option than some of the other dry food picks. It contains a natural fiber blend that helps prevent constipation and hairballs, and it has flaxseed for omega-6 fatty acids to support skin and coat health, but it does lack a solid source of omega-3 fatty acids. This food is free of corn, soy, and wheat. Cost-wise, this food is more affordable than some of the more moderate and premium products.

    Pros
    • Chicken and chicken meal are first two ingredients
    • Natural fiber blend supports digestive health
    • Omega-6 fatty acids support healthy skin and coat
    • Free of corn, soy, and wheat
    • More affordable than some other options
    Cons
    • Lower in protein than many other dry food options
    • Lower in fiber than some other options
    • Lacks omega-3 fatty acids
    • Too low in protein for active and young cats

    cat paw divider

    Buyer’s Guide: Finding the Best Foods for Maine Coon Cats

    What Purpose Does This Ingredient Have in Your Maine Coon’s Food?
    • Meat: If you are looking at an ingredient that is a single recognizable protein, like “chicken” or “duck”, then that means the ingredient was processed directly from its meat form into the food and it is just meat. This isn’t a by-product of another process and it isn’t organ meat or bone.
    • Meat Meal: If you see “chicken meal” or other specific meal listed on your ingredient list, it is a protein powder that has been manufactured from meat but can also contain skin and bone. This powder is extremely concentrated and can contain significantly more protein than meat. However, avoid “animal meal” or other nonspecific meal as this may not be a nutritionally sound product.
    • Meat By-Product: These ingredients are often byproducts of other processes, like meat processing for human food. You’ll see this listed in an ingredient list as “chicken by-product” or “lamb by-product”. These products can contain organ meats as well as meat, but they cannot contain hooves, teeth, skin, or horns. There isn’t anything inherently bad about meat by-products, but they can have varying nutrient levels based on what was added to a batch, so it isn’t always a reliable source of healthy protein.
    • Meat By-Product Meal: This is a concentrated powder made from the products contained in a meat by-product.
    • Organs and Bones: Many organs, like the heart and liver, are extremely nutrient-dense, making them great additions to your cat’s diet. Bones provide high levels of calcium and the marrow from within the bones is also nutrient-dense. These can be great additions to your Maine Coon’s diet, but they should not be the only protein source your cat receives.
    • Cellulose Powder: This ingredient is added as a source of fiber. Be aware that in low-quality foods, this may be an additive that is unfit for human consumption and that’s why it’s in pet food, so avoid this ingredient in low-quality foods.
    • Flaxseed: Flaxseeds provide a healthy source of omega-3 fatty acids and can help raise the protein content as well.
    • Prebiotics and Probiotics: We’ve heard all about these guys in the last decade or two, but probiotics and prebiotics are beneficial bacteria that help to ensure the GI tract is functioning at tip-top shape. They can also help support skin and coat health and immunity.
    • Beet Pulp: This is added to food as a source of fiber to maintain GI health. Beet pulp is a very healthy fiber additive for cats and is unlikely to cause GI distress or discomfort.
    • Montmorillonite Clay: Usually added to food as an anti-caking agent, montmorillonite clay also carries a number of health benefits including supporting GI health and adding calcium, iron, magnesium, and other vitamins and minerals to the food.
    • Kelp: Kelp, which is a type of seaweed, packs a nutritional punch by adding vitamins and minerals into your cat’s food. It has also been shown to aid in dental health, reduce allergy symptoms, and reduce inflammation.

    Hepper 360 Cat Feeder, Stainless Steel, Anti-Chew...
    • NO MESS - The 360° tray on this cat food and water bowl set has a raised design to catch and...
    • WHISKER FRIENDLY - Shallow and wide metal containers with flat bottoms ensure your kitty can enjoy...
    • CHEW-SAFE MATERIALS - Kittens and cats love chewing on silicone and soft rubber - but it's a choking...

    Choosing the right food and water bowls for our feline companions can pose certain challenges for pet owners. The Hepper NomNom Cat Bowl provides a chic and innovative solution that supports cat specific needs, such as shallow bowls and a subtle elevation that fosters whisker relief, posture comfort, and improves digestion. It features an elegant contemporary design with a wide wrap-around tray aimed at minimizing any messes from ending up on your floor! Furthermore, this bowl is entirely dishwasher safe, so pet owners are able to spend more time with their cats instead of cleaning up after them. Discover why the Hepper NomNom Cat Bowl is right for both you and your kitty by clicking here.

    At Catster, we’ve admired Hepper for many years and decided to take a controlling ownership interest so that we could benefit from the outstanding designs of this cool cat company!

     

    cat paw divider

    Final Verdict

    The best overall food for your Maine Coon is the Smalls Ground Bird Fresh Cat Food, which is a high-quality food that provides plenty of stable nutrition to your cat. For a high-value product, Diamond Naturals Premium Real Meat Indoor Cat Food will help support your Maine Coon’s health without breaking the bank.

    These reviews are intended to make things less confusing when it comes to choosing the right food for your Maine Coon. It’s important to talk to your veterinarian before making any dietary changes, though. Your vet knows your cat’s health status and history and will be able to make educated recommendations for foods that will work best for your kitty.


    Featured Photo Credit: Lita Keire, Shutterstock

    Get Catster in your inbox!

    Stay informed! Get tips and exclusive deals.
    Catster Editors Choice Badge
    Shopping Cart

    Pangolia

    © Pangolia Pte. Ltd. All rights reserved.