Is Raw Meat Good For Maine Coons?

Even though it is a staple for outdoor cats, did you know that raw meat is not a necessary part of your cat’s diet?

Maine Coons do not eat raw meat to survive, and most vets recommend a diet of cooked meat rather than raw meat.

A raw food diet is more difficult to prepare, and it is more likely to cause food-borne illness. It is possible to give your cat raw meat but they can get all the nutrients they need from cooked or commercial cat food.

While commercial cat food is much easier to provide, it has plenty of drawbacks. If you want to ensure your Maine Coon is getting all the nutrients it needs, read on to find out how you can provide a better diet for your cat.

Do Maine Coons Need Raw Meat?

Felines are obligate carnivores, meaning they require the protein found in animal meat to survive. While Maine Coons do not need raw meat in their diet, meat is still the most important ingredient for a cat.

Cats need about 26% of their diet to contain some kind of animal protein (source 1,2).

Cooked food is easier to prepare, much cleaner, and less likely to result in food-borne illness.

Store-bought meat is sold much later than it is butchered, and the packaging, storing, and shipping of meat makes it much more likely to contain pathogens like Salmonella if it is not properly cooked.

Best Raw Food For Maine Coon

While most vets recommend feeding your Maine Coon cat-cooked or commercial food, you can provide a raw diet too.

If you are just getting started on a raw diet though, you might want to know what can I feed my Maine Coon cat?

The table below shows a list of the different kinds of raw meats Maine Coons can eat, and their respective fat, and protein values (source 1,2,3,4,5,6):

The table below shows the vitamins, and additional nutrients, that each of these raw meats contains:

Beef

95% lean beef contains 5.7 grams of fat and 24 grams of protein per 113 grams.

When it comes to vitamins, beef contains a small amount of vitamins:

• A
• B1
• B2
• D
• E

And, a moderate to large amount of vitamins:

• B3
• B5
• B6
• B12
• Choline

Raw beef also contains a small amount of:

• Calcium
• Copper
• Magnesium
• Potassium
• Sodium

And, a moderate to high amount of:

• Iron
• Phosphorous
• Selenium
• Zinc

Chicken

The best Maine Coon raw food diet contains a mix of different meats.

While chicken and other types of poultry are more likely to contain pathogens than beef or fish, it is also very good for cats.

113 grams of chicken contains 9.2 grams of fat, 20 grams of protein, and 0.1 grams of carbohydrates.

There is a small amount of vitamins:

• B1
• E
• K

And, a moderate to high amount of vitamins:

• B2
• B3
• B5
• B6
• B12
• Choline

Finally, when it comes to minerals, chicken contains a small amount of:

• Calcium
• Copper
• Iron
• Magnesium
• Manganese
• Potassium
• Sodium

And, a moderate to high amount of:

• Phosphorous
• Selenium
• Zinc

Turkey

113 grams of raw turkey breast contains 2.6 grams of fat and 26 grams of protein.

Turkey also contains a small amount of vitamins:

• A
• B1
• B2
• D
• E
• Choline

And a moderate to high amount of vitamins:

• B3
• B5
• B6
• B12

Turkey has a small amount of the minerals:

• Calcium
• Copper
• Iron
• Magnesium
• Potassium
• Sodium
• Zinc

And, a moderate to high amount of:

• Phosphorus
• Selenium

Duck

There are 33 grams of fat and 9.8 grams of protein per 85 grams of duck meat.

When it comes to vitamins, duck meat contains a high to moderate amount of the vitamins:

• B1
• B2
• B3
• B5

And, a small amount of vitamins:

• A
• B6
• B12
• C
• D
• E
• K
• Choline

Duck contains a small amount of the minerals:

• Calcium
• Iron
• Magnesium
• Manganese
• Phosphorous
• Potassium
• Sodium
• Zinc

And, a moderate to high amount of the minerals:

• Copper
• Selenium

Salmon

A serving of 166 grams of salmon contains 7.3 grams of fat and 34 grams of protein.

It contains a small amount of vitamins:

• A
• B1
• B2
• E
• K

And a moderate to large amount of vitamins:

• B3
• B6
• B12
• D
• Choline

Salmon contains a small amount of the minerals:

• Calcium
• Copper
• Iron
• Magnesium
• Potassium
• Sodium
• Zinc

And, a moderate to high amount of the minerals:

• Phosphorus
• Selenium

Tuna

One serving of 85 grams of tuna contains 4.2 grams of fat and 20 grams of protein.

It contains a small amount of vitamins:

• E
• Choline

And, a moderate to large amount of vitamins:

• A
• B1
• B2
• B3
• B5
• B6
• B12
• D

Tuna contains:

• Calcium
• Copper
• Iron
• Magnesium
• Manganese
• Potassium
• Sodium
• Zinc

And, a moderate to high amount of:

• Phosphorus
• Selenium

How Much Should You Feed A Maine Coon

If you want to know do Maine Coons eat a lot, the answer is yes! These extra-large cats need more calories due to their size and activity level.

Overall, Maine Coons need 25 to 35 calories a day per pound of body weight.

If you want to know what do Maine Coon cats eat, take a look at this Maine Coon feeding chart to see how much of each nutrient, vitamin, and mineral these cats need in their diet (source 1):

Protein

Cats need a minimum of 26% of their diet to be made up of protein.

This crude protein should include a variety of amino acids including:

• Taurine
• Leucine
• Lysine
• Arginine

These proteins and various amino acids help with:

• Vision
• Energy
• Muscle Mass

They also support a cat’s:

• Fur
• Skin
• Nervous System
• Immune System

Fat

9% of a cat’s diet should include crude fat.

Omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids are especially important, as they provide oils that keep your cat’s skin and fur healthy and moisturized.

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates should make up a small percentage of a cat’s diet.

While they provide energy, too many carbs can lead to weight gain and malnutrition.

One of the main reasons people avoid commercial cat foods is because they contain too many filler carbohydrates.

A cat’s diet should only include 10% carbohydrates or even less.

Vitamins

Cats require vitamins:

• A
• B1
• B2
• B3
• B4
• B5
• B6
• B12
• D
• E
• K
• Choline

Minerals

Cats need the minerals:

• Calcium
• Potassium
• Sodium
• Phosphorus
• Chloride
• Iron
• Copper
• Magnesium
• Manganese
• Iodine
• Selenium
• Zinc

Maine Coon Raw Diet Recipe

If you are planning on starting a Maine Coon raw food diet, then you will need a few recipes to begin with.

Make sure to talk with your vet, however, before committing to a meal plan.

Here is a recipe for homemade Maine Coon cat food:

Ingredients

• 4.5 pounds of dark chicken meat with all bones removed and half of the skin removed
• 14 ounces of raw chicken hearts
• 7 ounces of raw chicken liver
• 8 ounces of water
• 4 raw egg yolks
• 2 teaspoons powdered eggshells
• 1.5 tsp light salt
• 2000 mg of taurine
• 200 mg of vitamin B complex
• 4000 mg of salmon oil
• 200 IU of vitamin E

Instructions

Step 1

Blend or grind three-quarters of the dark chicken meat.

Then, combine with the chicken hearts and liver.

Step 2

Cut the remaining chicken into bite-sized pieces.

Step 3

In a separate bowl, combine the following in a bowl:

• Water
• Egg Yolks
• Eggshells
• Salt
• Vitamins
• Supplements

Whisk the ingredients until they are evenly combined.

Step 4

Pour all ingredients into one bowl and mix well until you are sure everything is evenly distributed.

Step 5

Give your cat one serving of the food and freeze the rest.

This meal lasts about one month in the freezer.

Step 6

Fully sanitize all of your counters and cooking equipment.

Sadly, there is no magical Maine Coon raw food calculator that can tell you exactly what your cat requires in its diet.

It is extremely important to discuss your transition to a raw food diet with your vet first, or your cat may end up malnourished (source 1).

Is Raw Food Good For Cats?

If you want to know if you can feed raw meat to cats, the answer is yes.

However, many vets discourage a homemade raw food diet because it is incredibly difficult to provide the exact nutrients your cat needs.

Here are some of the pros and cons of feeding a raw diet to your Maine Coon:

Benefits

These are the pros of feeding your Maine Coon a raw diet:

1. Allergies

If your cat has allergies, you might be struggling to find food that does not give your cat a reaction.

Many commercial cat foods contain a long list of ingredients and preservatives that can make it difficult to rule out what exactly is causing your cat’s allergies.

By preparing your raw food, you can use the process of elimination to determine which foods your cat is allergic to.

2. Ingredient Selection

Homemade cat food means you can be as selective as you want about ingredient quality.

In the past, some commercial cat foods have included deadly ingredients or pathogens that have led to numerous pet deaths.

You will know exactly what your cat is eating when making your own food.

Price

High-quality cat food is expensive, but processing your food in bulk can help you save a lot of money.

While you will have to sink in more money to begin with, once you have a routine and the necessary supplements, making raw food is much cheaper.

Drawbacks

Below are the cons of feeding your Maine Coon cat a raw meat diet:

1. Foodborne Illness

Feeding raw meat greatly increases the likelihood of you or your cat contracting foodborne illness.

While a cat’s stronger stomach acid means it is somewhat less likely to contract foodborne illness than humans, it is still a risk that can result in serious symptoms or even death.

2. Malnutrition

While homemade raw food gives you the freedom to select your ingredients, it is so difficult to provide a balanced diet that your cat may become malnourished.

It takes a lot of research to know exactly how much of certain vitamins, minerals, and nutrients your cat needs.

For this reason, most vets recommend commercial cat food, or else you risk providing too much or too little of certain ingredients which can have serious or even deadly consequences.

3. Petting Your Cat

If you feed your cat a raw diet, it will make handling your cat and its feces much more dangerous.

Touching your cat after it has eaten raw food can spread pathogens throughout your living space.

The stools of cats who eat raw meat sometimes contain Toxoplasmosis, which can be incredibly dangerous to pregnant or immunocompromised individuals (source 1,2).

High-Quality Raw Cat Food

If you want to provide your cat with the best possible food, preparing your raw homemade diet gives you the freedom to include the best ingredients.

Should you choose to, you can give your cat premium raw meat every day for the rest of its life!

However, you will also need to include a variety of supplements such as taurine or arginine.

To avoid providing too much or too little of certain ingredients, however, make sure you talk with your vet before adding any supplements to your cat’s diet.

Conclusion

If you are wondering do Maine Coons need raw meat, the answer is no.

While cats eat raw meat in the wild, the raw meat you purchase from the store is much more likely to contain harmful pathogens because it takes so long to process, ship, and store meat.

If you want to provide your Maine Coon with a raw diet, you should discuss this thoroughly with your vet beforehand.

Together, you and your vet can create some recipes that will ensure your cat is getting the best possible nutrition.