This is a specific conversation about Wet vs dry cat food — the honest answer — ask about yours and get one honest answer for your exact situation.
inparticular.ai
Recurring ear infections in a 6-year-old Maine Coon are worth taking seriously, and yes — diet can absolutely be a factor. Food sensitivities, particularly to common proteins like chicken or grains, can drive chronic inflammation that shows up as ear problems. Wet food is generally the better base for cats anyway: it keeps them hydrated, is more filling, and sits closer to what they'd naturally eat. But for a cat with recurring infections, food quality and ingredient simplicity become even more important. A few quick questions: what's he eating currently, has your vet ruled out mites or yeast, and has anyone suggested a food trial?
He's on a mid-range dry food, mostly chicken flavour. Vet has treated the infections with drops each time but never mentioned diet. No mites — they checked. It keeps coming back every few months.
inparticular.ai
That pattern — infections clearing up then coming back — is a classic sign of an underlying trigger rather than a one-off. Chicken is actually one of the most common food sensitivities in cats because it's so overused in pet food. Dry food also concentrates the ingredients, so if there's a sensitivity, he's getting a heavy daily dose of it. The fact your vet hasn't flagged diet isn't unusual, but it's worth exploring. I'd suggest switching to a wet food with a single, novel protein — something he hasn't eaten much of — and cutting out chicken entirely for 8 to 12 weeks to see if the ear flare-ups reduce.
That makes sense. What would you actually recommend? Something I can get easily.
inparticular.ai
For this specific situation, I'd go with Encore 100% Natural Wet Cat Food in the fish variety — particularly the tuna or salmon pouches. It's a short, clean ingredient list: typically just fish, broth, and very little else. No grains, no added fillers, no chicken. Maine Coons do well on higher-protein wet food, and the fish base gives you that novel protein switch away from chicken. It's widely available on Amazon UK, reasonably priced for the quality, and the high moisture content will also support his kidneys and urinary health as he gets older. Start with one flavour consistently rather than mixing — you want to isolate the variable properly if you're doing an informal elimination trial.
Should I cut out dry food entirely or can I keep some alongside it?
inparticular.ai
During the trial, I'd go fully wet if you can — ideally with just the one protein source. If you keep dry food in the mix, especially a chicken-based one, you won't get a clean result and it'll be hard to tell whether the ears improve because of the diet change. Once you've had 8 to 12 weeks clear, you can reintroduce small amounts of dry food and see how he responds. Maine Coons are big cats with big appetites, so portion accordingly — the Encore pouches are 70g each, and a cat his size will likely need 3 to 4 a day depending on his weight.
Really helpful, thank you. I'll try it and mention the diet angle to the vet too.
inparticular.ai
Good plan — definitely loop the vet in, especially if the infections come back during the trial or he shows any digestive upset on the new food. Some vets will support a proper elimination diet with a hydrolysed protein prescription food if the over-the-counter switch doesn't resolve it, so that's a next step if needed. But a lot of cats genuinely sort out with a simpler, single-protein wet food. Hope it makes a difference for him.
