How To Make A Maine Coon Grow Big

It is common for owners to become anxious or even disappointed during the first year of owning a Maine Coon, because their cats are much smaller than expected.

Read on to find out why your Maine Coon kitten is smaller and what you can do about it!

How To Make A Maine Coon Grow Big

The size of a Maine Coon is determined by its genetics. There is no way to make a Maine Coon grow bigger than is natural. However, providing adequate levels of food with lots of protein can ensure your cat will grow to its full size.

The Maine Coon is the largest domesticated cat breed in the entire world weighing between 12-22lbs. These cats have muscular, rectangular bodies with rather square facial features.

A cat’s size is determined by its genetics so there is no way to make your Maine Coon magically grow big. Still, there are some steps you can take to ensure your cat reaches its full Maine Coon size.

1. Provide Enough Calories

The average cat needs between 25 – 35 calories per pound of body weight, every day. Owners should check their Maine Coon is consuming enough calories.

These cats are incredibly active, so need more calories than the average cat, so make sure your cat is eating all of the food you provide; if your Maine Coon isn’t eating enough, it could be the result of an underlying health problem like this.

2. Provide Lots Of Protein

Even if you give your cat enough calories every day, it might not make a difference in your cat’s size because some cat brands do not contain the correct nutritional profile for these large cats.

Maine Coon cats need a lot of protein and moderate amounts of fat to grow correctly, particularly during kittenhood.

Read this guide to feeding a Maine Coon cat to ensure you are feeding them the best food.

3. Avoid Carbs And Filler Foods

Cheaper brands of cat food substitute more expensive proteins with lots of:

• Filler Carbohydrates
• Grains

Cats only need a small number of carbs, so lots of filler carbs can result in malnutrition and stunted growth. Click here to discover the best food to feed your Maine Coon cat.

4. Exercise

Overfeeding your cat will not make it grow bigger, in the right way, anyway.

Overfeeding leads to obesity and many other health problems in your cat. This is not a very advisable approach and should be avoided.

Instead, ensure your Maine Coon gets a lot of exercise, ideally 30 minutes each day. Not only is this important for mental stimulation, but it will also help your cat build muscle.

5. Spay And Neuter

Getting a cat spayed or neutered at a young age has been shown to help a cat’s growth!

On the ends of our bones are sections of cartilage that allow our bones to continue lengthening. Once we reach a certain age, the cartilage fuses, and growth stops.

Spaying and neutering at a young age delays the fusion of that cartilage, resulting in longer, taller cats!

6. Monitor Your Cat’s Weight

Keep track of your Maine Coon’s weight, especially during its first year of life. Here’s how to make a Maine Coon growth chart.

Track your cat’s weight every month, and discuss with your vet whether your Maine Coon seems healthy, or not.

7. Be Patient

The average cat reaches full size in a year or two, while Maine Coons usually do not reach full size until between three and five years old! So, be patient and wait for your cat to grow!

Best Food For Growth

Providing a nutritionally balanced diet is one of the key factors contributing to a Maine Coon’s health and growth.

Here are the dietary requirements for Maine Coon cats:

High Protein

Maine Coons require a high amount of animal protein, and this should make up about 35% – 50% of their total diet.

High levels of protein are vital to building muscle mass and strengthening your cat’s immune system.

Moderate Fat

Your Maine Coon’s diet should contain about 20% – 30% fat.

More specifically, cats require omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, which are a vital source of energy, and are required for many essential bodily functions such as the:

• Absorption of vitamins
• Reduction of inflammation

Low Carbs

Carbohydrates should only make up roughly 12% of your Maine Coon cat’s diet.

Carbs are still an important energy source, but if your cat is eating lots of carbs and not enough protein or fat, it will quickly become malnourished.

Vitamins And Minerals

Cats require dozens of different vitamins and minerals, which all work together to make your cat healthy.

The Association of American Feed Control Officials, also known as the AAFCO, has worked hard to create a strict guideline for all the vitamins and minerals that cats require.

When searching for pet foods, make sure the brand you purchase from has the AAFCO’s seal of approval, to ensure your cat is getting all of the vitamins and minerals it requires (source 1,2,3,4,5).

Runt Of The Litter

Sometimes, a cat that gives birth to a litter of kittens will give birth to a smaller and weaker kitten, known as a runt.

These kittens are less likely to survive when they are young, but they can still grow up to be perfectly healthy cats.

Y-Shaped Uterus

Maine Coon runts are often the result of a y-shaped uterus.

Sometimes, one of the kittens is pushed into one corner of the uterus, away from the main blood supply. These kittens receive fewer nutrients during development and are born smaller.

Multiple Matings

Another cause of litter runts is a cat who has mated more than once.

Cats are capable of conceiving kittens from more than one father, therefore, sometimes a kitten may be conceived later than its siblings, and is, therefore, less developed when it is born.

Survival

Runts are less likely to survive while they are younger, as their mother may kill them or abandon them, or they may suffer from:

• Weakness
• Deformities

However, if a runt survives to about two months old, it will likely grow up to be just as big and healthy as its siblings.

Runt Growth Spurts

A runt Maine Coon may not experience growth spurts at the same times as its siblings and will have to “catch up” on weight gain at a young age.

If you suspect you have a kitten that was a runt, you should take extra care to talk about your cat’s growth rate with your vet, to ensure it is healthy (sources 1,2).

Signs Your Maine Coon Grow Big!

There is no way to know how large your cat will be when it grows up. But there are a few tell-tale signs to look for that may indicate your cat’s eventual size:

1. Paw Size

Paw size can give you a vague indication of your cat’s ultimate size.

“Teenage” Maine Coons, between three months to a year old, are often quite lanky before they eventually reach their full size.

During this awkward growth period, most Maine Coon kittens have large paws in comparison to the rest of their body, and they usually end up growing into these paws.

As a result, you can usually expect Maine Coons with very large paws to grow up bigger, but there is no way to know for sure.

2. Parent Size

The size of a Maine Coon’s parents is often one of the best indicators when it comes to guessing how big your Maine Coon will get.

When purchasing a Maine Coon from a reputable breeder, like these, you can ask how large kittens from previous litters have grown, as well.

Still, keep in mind that the genetics which determine a cat’s full size are very complex, and the size of a Maine Coon’s parents is not a completely reliable indicator.

Click here to learn more about Maine Coon genetics.

3. Gender

Male Maine Coons are larger on average than females.

Most female Maine Coons weigh between 8 and 12 pounds, while most male Maine Coons reach between 15 and 25 pounds.

Here are a few other key differences and similarities between the male and female Maine Coon cats.

4. Health

Healthy cats are more likely to grow up big.

Kittens suffering from various health problems, however, may not get all the nutrients they need while growing and may end up smaller as a result.

Why Is My Maine Coon Cat Small?

Maine Coon size varies, especially between males vs females. While males reach 18 – 22 lbs, females weigh 12-15 lbs.

Here are some of the reasons why some Maine Coons are small:

1. Genetics

Some Maine Coons are simply small due to genetics.

Even a Maine Coon with two large parents can end up being small because there is no way for breeders to control which genes a cat inherits from its parents.

2. Diet

Diet is essential when it comes to a cat’s size.

Maine Coons need at least 25 to 35 calories a day per pound of body weight.

Their diet should consist of large amounts of protein, a moderate amount of fat, and a small number of carbohydrates.

3. Poor Health

The early stages of your cat’s life are very important for determining size.

A kitten battling illness will not be able to focus as much on eating, or may even lose some of the food they take in either by vomiting or excessive bowel movements.

Other health problems such as cancer, hyperthyroidism, and diabetes can all lead to weight loss, as well.

4. Circumstances Of Birth

The runt of the litter may grow up to be much smaller.

Cats that are separated from their mother too early can also suffer nutritionally, and will not grow to be as big.

5. Maine Coon Mix

In some cases, your Maine Coon might not be a purebred Maine Coon at all!

Maine Coon mixes often grow up to be smaller than the average Maine Coon, so it is important to purchase a cat from a reputable, registered breeder.

Biggest Maine Coons

Most Maine Coons weigh between 12 and 22 pounds when they are fully grown, but there are some massive Maine Coons that have grown up to exceed these expectations.

However, official record-keepers prefer to track cat length rather than weight, to prevent owners from intentionally overfeeding their cats.

Barivel

Barivel is currently the record holder for the world’s longest cat that is currently living, and he measures an incredible 47.2 inches long. Read more about him in this article.

Stewie

Stewie was a beautiful Maine Coon that once held the record for the world’s longest cat. He measured 48.5 inches long but unfortunately passed away in 2013.

Ludo

Ludo once held the record for the longest cat alive, measuring a length of 46.6 inches. However, he is also one of the heaviest Maine Coons at 34 pounds – nearly ten pounds above the average maximum weight for a Maine Coon cat!