Spoilage Issue During Spring Summer Months?

A group of us feed a well established, small feral cat colony, in three separate places, all within walking distance. As a treat and to supplement canned cat food, I add about one or two ounces of chopped up cooked meat and homemade bone broth to the canned cat food. I am concerned the meat could spoil and make the cats ill. Should we continue giving them the cooked meat and bone broth during the hot weather?
The other issue is that there are LOTS of vultures who scare away the cats--so that delays the time the cats would eat the meat + bone broth. Sometimes forever--the vultures get to the food first. The vultures pull out the bowls of food and eat it, including the dried cat food.
The colony is in an area that is normally off limits to everyone (except the guards and us caretakers), and as such, we are limited in what type of protective shelters we can erect. Thanks.

ritz said:

As a treat and to supplement canned cat food, I add about one or two ounces of chopped up cooked meat and homemade bone broth to the canned cat food. I am concerned the meat could spoil and make the cats ill. Should we continue giving them the cooked meat and bone broth during the hot weather?

Click to expand...

All cooked meat will spoil at a given time and especially under heat or hot weather. Same goes for the broth as it is with the meat.

All meat will attract one prey or the other and also pest like ants and snakes and as you mentioned, vultures.

Can you like if you can and time permits, feed them while you are there instead of leaving the food out for them and also feed them near the guard house? Not sure about erecting a structure for the cats as they might not go in and even if they do, there are openings that the vulture can go in too.

But your are talking about 3 separate locations. Maybe a cat friendly structure may help like a low hut or shelter deep enough to place the food with openings that the vultures can't get in. Any raccoon or foxes there? They can enter through the opening and steal the food.

I know mine is not a good idea or suggestion but maybe other members may have a better idea. on in there for other replies.

In the hot summer weather, meat and canned food spoils very quickly, and become covered with flies, usually within an hour. It might be better to leave out dry food only, and give wet food separately when the cats are present, and take away the leftovers.

I don't have vultures in my area, but I do get starlings, who can devour dry food in minutes. If this becomes a problem, you can take a large tupperware container and make a hole in the side large enough for the cat to stick his head in to eat, with the food inside. Birds can't get in. There used to be a man who designed and sold these bird proof cat feeders online, but he must of went out of business. If you Google bird proof pet feeder, you'll find some images on Pinterest.

Thanks. The caretakers do wait as long as they can--sometimes two hours. Good idea about the Tupperware container. I'll Google bird proof pet feeders.

I final thought/question: what about putting frozen bone broth in the bowl we usually put water?

I think it's best to provide water, especially in the heat. Frozen broth would last longer, but I'd be concerned about a cat's tongue getting hurt licking something frozen, and also, on a very hot day it would still spoil eventually.