How accurate is this little blurb about adding water/broth to dry food?

[pp604]

L'il Bite of the Day - Please Don't Moisten That Dry Food

How can bacteria grow on it if the cat is going to eat it immediately?
I have my dry food stored in an air tight container, is that okay?

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi!
I have divided small-ish amounts of kibble into zip bags and what I'm not using is in the freezer.

I've read that moist kibble shouldn't be left out very long.

 

[FeebysOwner]

I do think that moistening dry cat food probably does hasten the growth of bacteria to some degree. Maybe not as much as a cat's saliva can do because of the 'acids' in saliva. But, if a cat is eating most of the bowl within a couple of hours, I personally don't think it is a big deal.

If you are worried about it, and can manage it with your schedule, you can always put out smaller amounts at one time, and just replenish the bowl more often.

There are just some cats that won't eat canned food and prefer dry more, even with water added. When it comes down to this, which is better - having your cat eat (and like) dry food with water, or NOT having your cat eat enough because they don't like canned food? Pretty easy choice to me.

 

[Alldara]

L'il Bite of the Day - Please Don't Moisten That Dry Food

That post is from 2013 - always check the dates. Pet food has changed a lot since 2013. We also don't have any information about the poster, or any links to why they think that happens. It could just be a statement of opinions. Henry Buhl Library: Research Basics: How do I know if a source is credible?

For myself, I store dry food in a container with a lid, the same why I store my rice. Hundreds of thousands of people open it and leave it in the bag with no issues.

Adding water to dry food is highly recommended on many websites. I haven't source checked if the posters are legitimate veterinarians though. I have done it personally with no issues. It was out maybe for an hour soaking up the water and then being eaten. Bowl is washed each use. Bacteria from a cat's mouth does stay on the bowls and there is legitimate research that says things like lysteria and salmonella can grow. How Often Do You Wash Your Dog's Bowl? Probably Not Enough

Yes, there would certainly be issues of mold and bacteria if you were adding water to it all at once, but this is not the case. You are adding it to the portion they are to eat at that meal.


I will add too, cats are used to eating live, uncooked food. That's a completely different bacteria set they are used to eating.

The bias for my opinions comes from many people saying that wet food can't be left out for more than 20 minutes, but we leave it out and our cats eat it over a few hours. One is immunocompromised and everything has been fine. If I was to pick it up, the same cat would never have enough calories. It's not possible. He won't eat refrigerated foods warmed up or anything.