Dry food in a bowl (how long)

[jcat]

Originally Posted by Ping

This thread made me remember something. His Timberwolf food is in a foil type pack that can be resealed if you have a vacuum sealer. And I do. So I took three cups of his food out and put that in a separate container(enough for a few days or a week depending on his moods) and vacuum seal the rest in the original bag. Which should prolong its life because I just sucked all the air out of the bag.

That's brilliant! We just got a vacuum sealer, and it never occurred to me to use it on cat food bags. Thanks for that tip!

I put out 1/4 cup of dry food in the morning, and whatever hasn't been eaten by the evening, when I give canned, gets tossed, and the bowl goes in the dishwasher.

 

[ping]

I believe it has to be the thin foil type to work. Or you could use your own bags and just break it down to smaller bags instead of one big bag.

 

[icklemiss21]

I put enough out that they will eat what they have and the bowls are empty and ready for rinsing by the time I get home

 

[ilovemy2cats]

Originally Posted by emmylou

I feed a variety of brands. The expiration dates on the bag tend to be a year away. Why, what is the expiration date on your dry food?

In any case, the expiration date on the bag wouldn't be a day or a week later, or they wouldn't be allowed to sell it. That doesn't make sense. Dry food is manufactured with the understanding that it will be left out. In the unlikely event that a cat left the food uneaten for a week or two, it wouldn't be an issue. I wouldn't throw out perfectly good dry food after a day.

Well if a cat is leaving food uneaten for a week or two, it's probably because he won't eat it because it stale.

The expiration date is for an UNopened bag.

 

[batgirl2good]

Originally Posted by littleraven7726

I only put out enough that it gets eaten in a day.

Same here. I measure it out since I am trying to help my cats slim down a tad.

I throw out what is left when I go to bed.

 

[ChrisC607]

I know this is quite an old thread, but for those that happen across it as i did...
Do not for a moment believe that dry food does not go stale. Cats are carnivores, and if you're feeding half decent food, the bulk of it should be meat products, including fats and oils. I've heard a vet say dry kibble goes air stale in 30-45 minutes. To think that a cat doesn't mind or care is just downright ignorant. They eat it because they have no choice other than starve. Just because they eat it, doesn't mean they like it, and just because you don't notice they get sick from time to time, doesn't mean they don't. Cats do everything in their power not to show signs of being ill or injured. If they show such things, it is a sign of weakness and makes them vulnerable to other predators. Just because they don't actually have any reason to worry, doesn't mean they are not going to do what is literally built into them. 24 hours is the absolute maximum dry food should be left exposed to air. Less if it is humid. Cats are vulnerable to foodborne illness just as we are. Especially things like salmonella and e-coli. That's not to mention all the different molds and other potential microbes that can make a kitty ill. Food should be kept in its original package as well sealed as possible in a cool dark area. Vacuum sealing it is a very good idea. Dumping the food into a container and plopping a lid on it is a bad idea. There's too much air in an open container. Air exposure should be minimalized as much as possible. Humidity can make food downright toxic. And toxic does not mean it's going to kill your pet. If you think all these things are okay you probably don't pay enough attention to your pet to realize how much it probably sucks for them. I have a 17 year old cat that's healthier than cats half of her age. She doesn't want anything to do with food that's been left out for more than an hour or two. I only change it twice a day once in the morning once in the evening. But she also gets wet food as well. Most people's cats die around 12 or 13 years old. Most cats suffer through renal failure. I luckily have a cat that loves to drink. But she hates her water bowl. She only wants fresh running water from the sink. Animals needs and human needs are very similar and to think otherwise is old time thinking. Once upon a time that used to think lead paint was safe and even thought that uranium was a good thing to color plates with. We learned over time and we have to be willing to accept the science behind it. It doesn't take much research to find that leaving food exposed to air is a bad idea. And if you buy your pet food at a grocery store stop it. I'm serious if you love your pet you will stop buying it from a grocery store. Read the ingredients. If corn is in the ingredients it's not healthy in your cat's going to die at least 5 years earlier then it should. Probably more like 10. Cat should easily live beyond 20 years and it's really sad that people think otherwise because it's only because of malnutrition. Cats are obligate carnivores that means they only eat meat nothing but meat don't believe any crap about they eat what's in things stomachs as well think how big a mouse is. Think how big its stomach is. To think this contributes to a cat's nutrition whatsoever is downright silliness. If your cat doesn't like to drink you shouldn't give it anything but wet food. If it's not convenient for you and that's why you feed dry food, shame on you. You're giving up years of your pet's Life by doing it. Cats don't really have a drive to drink. some do but the general majority of them don't and almost all of them are dehydrated. Cats get their moisture from their prey. That's how their bodies are designed to be. you either have to specifically encourage your cats drink somehow are you need to provide that liquid through food. no grains are healthy for cats. cats don't eat nuts and Grains and the proteins within them are not digestible by them or usable by them. are different types of proteins and the proteins cats need need to come from animals. if you feed your cat dry kibble from the grocery store and leave the stale stuff in there until it's gone or just keep adding to the top you're either lazy or ignorant. there's nothing wrong with being ignorant as long as once you learn the truth and information behind the matter you just yourself to be educated within the matter. most people are just too lazy or don't care. what's convenient for you and your life is irrelevant. When most cats don't even live to be half of the age that should be, there is something seriously wrong going on. Read your ingredients, the bulk the ingredients should be meat. There should be no corn of any sort. There should be no wheat of any sort. No grains. Things like rice and potatoes and other things of the sort are nothing more than filler. Never ever feed by product. And if it doesn't identify the animal and just simply says animal by-product or animal meal feel offended that it's even sold. that can be anything including roadkill and euthanized pets. And it's legal. the majority of grocery store kibble is nothing more than corn balls sprayed with liquid rendered meat product more for flavoring than anything. so even the cornball food from the grocery store has proteins and meat liquids sprayed over it including fats and oils which can go very stale very quick. If your cat had any choice in the matter it would not eat it. And contrary to popular belief animals are not happy with or okay getting one type of food their whole life. Again they have no choice except to die.

 

[Mr. Meowgi]

I created an account on here just to say my cat licks his own butthole and I catch him chasing and eating spiders so I'm not going to throw out perfectly good dry food just because I think my cat may not enjoy a slightly stale taste of 3 day old dry cat food and it's completely insane to do so when I've seen stray cats eat garbage. It's not a matter of not loving your pet I think your way to overzealous about your cat and should get out in the real world if your tossing money away like that based on what you think your cat may or may not prefer good god

 

[MissClouseau]

I created an account on here just to say my cat licks his own butthole and I catch him chasing and eating spiders so I'm not going to throw out perfectly good dry food just because I think my cat may not enjoy a slightly stale taste of 3 day old dry cat food and it's completely insane to do so when I've seen stray cats eat garbage. It's not a matter of not loving your pet I think your way to overzealous about your cat and should get out in the real world if your tossing money away like that based on what you think your cat may or may not prefer good god

I live in Istanbul where there are stray cats everywhere and it's very rare to see them eat from garbage. If a cat eats from garbage, it means the people around are not feeding them and they are starving. Not because they actually like it there. I don't think "starving stray cat would eat it probably" is a good standard.

Spider is fresh food for them.

Not putting 3 days worth of food into the bowl is another option.

EDIT: Some foods smell bad for cats earlier than the others. And of course the weather/humidity is a big factor. Mine eats the same food in like 12 hours in the winter from the bowl but in the summer, in the evening she doesn't like to eat the leftover from the morning. We have over 29 C degrees, very humid summer days.