Dry Cat Food Bag In The Heat—what Would You Do?

[taylamo]

Our shelter feeds Purina Kitten Chow Nuture. I had a coupon for a dollar or two off of it and bought a bag to donate, along with some canned cat food and homemade toys for the dogs. Because our shelter is only open to the public for 4 hours a day and closed some days entirely, I didn’t drop it off right away. I meant to check their schedule online but got busy with back-to-school preparations. So, the bag of food has been riding around in my trunk for about 10 days and parked in my stuffy garage at night.

Is the food still usable? I’m sure it probably says to store in a cool, dry place, which obviously being outside is not. On the other hand, the trucks and warehouses probably aren’t climate-controlled either. Chewy deliveries sit outside all day sometimes, I’m sure. But this has been closer to 10 days, not just hours, and I don’t want to sicken any kitties. If it were a bag of food for my personal cats, I would open it and smell it to see if it seems off before feeding it. Any anecdotes or advice?

 

[neely]

I'm sure Purina has a toll free 800 number on the package that you can call and ask to speak with a representative. That way you will know whether to donate the bag to the shelter or not. Good luck, please let us know if they are helpful.

 

[1 bruce 1]

For a single cat that would take a few months to go through the bag, I'd hesitate, but I'd be a little more comfortable giving this food to a shelter that will probably use it very quickly to feed a lot of cats. neely made a good suggestion about contacting Purina. You could also contact the shelter after you hopefully hear back from Purina with whatever information they gave you and see what they think.
PS: Our food for the barn cats is in a large tub in the barn and has gone through heat and cold, and has never caused a problem, and Purina is in their mix.
It's very nice that you're thinking of their well being, I'm sure the cats and the shelter staff appreciate your thoughtfulness

 

[taylamo]

Thanks for the replies! I’ll call them in the morning. I wish I hadn’t forgotten about the bag. I remember not wanting to bring it inside that evening because my kitty crew likes to tear into bags unless they are inaccessible.

 

[taylamo]

Called this morning and they said it was fine. No details, just “yes, you’re good.” The trunk doesn’t really feel overly warm inside in the garage, but the car was parked at the state fair in the hot sun for several hours the other day so wasn’t sure.