Giant breed cats are a popular family pet. These large loveable felines have amazing personalities and are an important member of many households. Understanding how to care for them is critical to ensure they have everything they need to thrive and be happy.
A common question that many owners have is ‘what do I feed these giant cats?’
To answer this question we will look at what breeds of giant cat there are, why giant dog breeds need a different diet to normal dog breeds and then finally how we can formulate a diet for giant cat breeds that is going to meet all their nutritional needs.
Table of contents
What are the giant breeds of cat?
Maine Coone
The Maine Coone is a popular giant breed of cat. Originally a farm cat, these impressive animals are known for their hunting skills. Despite their history they are popular playful family pets who are known for being relatively calm and tolerant as cats go! Adult males can weigh as much as 10kg with females often smaller at around 5kg.
Savannah Cat
The Savannah Cat is the outcome of crossing a domestic cat with a Serval which is a wild African cat. These cats are highly strung and energetic in nature, and unlike the Maine Coone, do not make the best family pets. Their large size comes from their Serval genetics and they can weigh over 9kg. They are also tall cats with an average height of 16 inches. In comparison, the domestic short haired cat is usually around 8-10 inches tall.
Ragdoll
The Ragdoll is a beautiful cat with piercing blue eyes and a soft fur coat. They love being around people and make great family pets. As one of the UKs most popular large breed of cat they can weigh up to 9kg, with the males typically weighing more than the females.
Chausie
The Chausie is another wild cat cross, which has been bred from a domestic cat and a wild jungle cat. These cats enjoy a strict routine and are not big fans of change. They are not small either, weighing in at up to 11.5kg!
Ragamuffin
The Ragamuffin shares similar characteristics to the Ragdoll, and like the Ragdoll can weigh around 9kg. They have friendly personalities and super soft fur coats and are a popular family pet.
Norwegian Forest Cat
The Norwegian Forest Cat is a strikingly beautiful cat. Weighing up to 10kg they are impressive in size too. They thrive on the attention of their owner and can get jealous in large families and groups when they can’t have the attention of their one favourite person. Despite this, if you have the right environment they can make ideal family companions.
Turkish Van
The Turkish Van is a large water loving cat, weighing in between 4kg and 9kg. They have a white body with a coloured tail and blue and/or amber eyes. They are well suited as family pets and are extremely intelligent, playful and energetic!
Persian
The Persian is bigger than most standard sized domestic cats but not as big as many of these cats mentioned before. They have a beautiful long fur coat which requires attentive grooming and can make them look bigger than they actually are! Despite this they are still relatively large with some reaching 5.5kg in weight.
You can read more about these popular giant breed cats here.
Why do giant breeds of dog need a different diet to normal dogs?
Giant breeds of dog include the Saint Bernard, the Bernese mountain dog, the Great Dane and the English Mastiff. Giant and large breed dogs are predisposed to a number of health conditions due to their size and rapid growth. These conditions include developmental orthopaedic diseases such as hip dysplasia, elbow dysplasia, osteochondrosis and osteochondrosis dissecans, which are chronic health conditions that can have lifelong effects on their mobility.
Although the genetics of these large breed dogs puts them at greater risk of developing these conditions, it is also now well known that diet can play a big role. Overfeeding these breeds can lead to them growing rapidly and this can increase the risk of them developing these potentially debilitating conditions.
Dietary differences
The main difference between these giant breeds of dogs and their smaller more standard sized counterparts is that they require less calories per kg of bodyweight a day than standard sized dogs. If these dogs are fed a standard dog’s diet in the correct volume for their weight, they are likely to receive too many calories which could result in them growing too fast and put them at greater risk of developing the conditions mentioned above.
If they are fed a smaller portion of a standard dog food then they are likely to feel hungry as they are not consuming a large enough volume of food.
The answer to this is to provide them with their own diet that is lower in calories and will allow them to still eat an appropriately sized portion and feel full, but not take in excess calories that they don’t need. In addition to the reduced calories, which is often achieved by lowering the fat content of giant breed dog feed, their diets are also formulated to be more sensitive on their digestive system and some may contain additional nutrients beneficial for joint health. You can read more about giant breed dog diets here.
Do giant breeds of cat need a different diet to normal cats?
Unlike giant breed dogs, giant breed cats are not predisposed to health conditions that can be affected by feeding an alternative diet to a standard sized domestic cat, so there is no need to feed them a different diet to a normal domestic cat. Whilst each breed can have its own health quirks and behavioural differences, there is no need to feed a separate diet and feeding the same diet as a normal sized cat will not be harmful for your giant breed cat.
Part of the reason for this is the matter of degree: the largest breed of cat listed here is “only” about four times heavier than a small breed cat; however, a Newfoundland might be 50 times bigger than a Chihuahua!
What should I feed my giant breed cat?
When formulating a diet for your giant breed cat the key is to feed a nutritionally balanced diet. There are many commercial pet cat foods available that are specific to individual breeds, but it is not necessary to use these. The exception to this is if a specific prescription diet has been prescribed by your veterinary surgeon for a health condition unique to your individual pet.
In most cases, feeding a standard high quality commercial cat food is sufficient to provide all the nutrients that your giant pet needs. If you have any questions about your specific cat’s health then you should speak to your veterinary surgeon to ensure that they are receiving a diet that meets their individual nutritional needs.
Summary:
- Giant breeds of cats are popular pets
- Giant breeds of cat include the Maine Coone, Savannah Cat, Ragdoll, Chausie, Ragamuffin, Norwegian Forest Cat, Turkish Van and Persian cat
- Standard sized dogs breeds require different diets to giant breeds of dogs
- Giant breeds of cat do not require different diets to standard sized cats
- Giant breeds of cat should be fed a nutritionally balanced commercial pet cat food
- If you are concerned about your pet cats nutrition then you should speak to your veterinary surgeon about your individual pets needs
Discussion