That's interesting. I'm kind of a Math-Head too.I am struggling with this myself now. How do I make sure my cat gets fed when I go out for the day/night or unexpectedly can't make it home? I am brand new to feeding food that isn't canned and preserved, and she can no longer have any dry food. This is stressful! I'm not even talking vacations or several days. I'm just talking during the course of 1 day. I can often end up leaving in the mid afternoon and not return home until 3am for example. One of my biggest concerns is that she often doesn't finish her meal and I don't like the idea of her possibly consuming food that has been sitting out for hours.
I bought the Cat Mate C500 and ran some testing today over the course of 10 hours. I am a researcher so I like to approach things scientifically. I measured the temp of the food in each slot every 2 hours over a 10 hour period (having the timer rotate the food dish every 2 hours). The ice packs don't cover the entirety of the bottom of the dish so it gave some variation in how chilled each dish became as it rotated. The food felt cold to the touch the entire time, but obviously it sat above safe temps after hour 0 and could begin growing bacteria.
Cat Mate C500 Temp
Slot Hour 0 Hour 2 Hour 4 Hour 6 Hour 8 Hour 10
0 43 51 51.4 59.5 54.3 58.6
1 43 48.2 49.1 53.1 60.8 58.5
2 45 48.2 48.6 50 56.3 51.5
3 51 56.7 49.3 50.2 52 59
4 45 57.2 56.5 51.8 53.1 56.5
I picked up the FrostyBowlz and am gonna see if those keep the food chilled better. I am mainly looking to see if I can buy myself a 10-12 hour window of the food sitting out safely for her, since she doesn't consume it all at once.
If I freeze small portions like in an ice cube tray and put them out in the chilled dish I'm sure it would stay fresh longer, and I will try testing that next to see how long it would take to defrost, but she still wouldn't consume it all at once and could still possibly consume it hours later without anyone to take it away.
This isn't even considering the fact that my cat HATES to consume cold food. It was no problem microwaving canned food, but I cannot nuke or heat up the new food as it would kill all the nutrients/supplements I add. I have her food frozen in daily portions, then I thaw the portions in the fridge and add the supplements to that daily amount and keep in the fridge. It's just easier to track that way. Still trying to figure out how I could safely warm her food a little when I'm home without sacrificing nutrients. Maybe a ziploc bag under warm water.
I'm a graduate student so I cannot afford a regular pet sitter in my area. If any of the veterans here have thoughts I'd much appreciate hearing them.
I would try the frozen portions in the Frosty Bowl (FB). You could feed fresh-warmed in the AM, put some fresh-unwarmed in one FB, and a frozen chunk in a second FB. That would provide three meals in a day. If you're testing, I'd be interested in knowing temps on those and at what temperature your cat does go eat the portions that started out colder/frozen.
My cats are ok with eating cold refrigerated food, but sometimes a new tub is a little icy, so I warm it to body temperature. I heat about 1/2" of water in a small saucepan until it almost boils, take it off the heat and set the food saucer on top with the saucepan lid on top of the food. Kind of like a double-boiler, but I don't quite let the water boil. In about 10 minutes, the warming plate brings the food temp up without cooking it at all.
I personally believe that any fresh or raw meats should be kept at a safe temp of 40-45 F or they run the risk of bacterial growth, especially in open air with cats nibbling and introducing bacteria. I'm testing Frosty Bowl and another product called Polar Bowl simultaneously.
