Tip: Never feed your cat with cold cat food served directly from the fridge.

[gloriajh]

My question - why?

If the stomach doesn't have a problem with cold food, then are there other reasons?

Info was taken from the CAT HEALTH link ...
http://www.thecatsite.com/Health/81/...-Your-Cat.html

Tip: Never feed your cat with cold cat food served directly from the fridge. A simple way to heat it until the chill is gone is by mixing in some hot water and stirring well.

I always have problems with information that tells me something without some sort of explanation - and this is one of them.

I was microwaving the food - but now wonder if I'm killing off the good "enzymes" or other good things in the food ?

Is there anyone that can shed some light on the reasons why cold cat food should "never" be served?

 

[zissou'smom]

I'm interested also. I was microwaving Zissou's food, but now I don't have a microwave and she won't eat food that has water added to it.

So she eats it cold... and never seems to mind.

If it's really bad then I suppose I can figure out something...

 

[forget-me-not]

I would like to know too - my kitty drinks cold water and actually eats cold food better reheated food.

 

[yobabsyo]

I have never heard of that, I'm gonna look into it, I feed both of my cats cold cat food.

 

[miss mew]

Warm food has a better smell and stimulates hunger? That's what I always thought.

 

[gingersmom]

Ginger, and now Ferris both seem to prefer their food chilled. I can't see how that could possibly be bad for them.

 

[kai bengals]

Seems like it will be a cat by cat preference and not a health issue.
I feed all my cats cold raw food directly from the fridge which is kept at exactly 38 degrees.

They go right for it and are no worse for wear.

 

[jen]

Originally Posted by Miss Mew

Warm food has a better smell and stimulates hunger? That's what I always thought.

That is exactly right but I don't think that would be cause for a warning like NEVER serve them cold food.

 

[yobabsyo]

i've been looking online for a few minutes now and I can't find a reason why, but a lot of food manufactures suggest this:
"Refrigerate unused portion. Refeed at room temperature"

but they don't give a reason...

 

[gailc]

OMG if Ox had to wait another 30-45 sec for his moist food he might pass out!!!
I can't give it to him fast enough the way it is!!

 

[myfirstragdoll]

Hershey eats it cold or hot he doesn't care.. and he's been eating it like this for a year and a half..

 

[abigail]

Abi eats cold food too. I am suspicious of anything prefaced by "NEVER".

 

[yobabsyo]

Well, here's the first semi-reason i've found so far: "the balance should be stored under refrigeration. However, never feed this food cold or digestive disturbances may result. Warm the food to room temperature."
This was taken from http://www.delmars.com/kitcats/catsfeed.htm (towards the bottom of the page.)

 

[wildflower79]

Well Gizmo won't anything cold anyhow. I HAVE to warm up his food, or he won't touch it.

 

[sharky]

Originally Posted by Kai Bengals

Seems like it will be a cat by cat preference and not a health issue.
I feed all my cats cold raw food directly from the fridge which is kept at exactly 38 degrees.

They go right for it and are no worse for wear.

that would be my house.. the old one likes it luke warm so I sprinkle luke warm water in it and stir

 

[halfpint]

I have alway's just stuck, can, pouch or whatever I use in warm water for a few minutes before I open it, I think they like it room tempture or just slightly warm, I do my dogs that way also, I think it probably smells better to them when it's warm

But then I could be nuts to

 

[vanillasugar]

Um, my cats don't even get room temperature food anymore... and they're lucky if it's fully thawed when it's served sometimes. I don't want to risk "warming it" and cooking any of the ground bone in the pre-made raw I feed. They'll get it cold, they really don't care

 

[moggiegirl]

The reason is because many cats refuse to eat cold food from the refrigerator. They like their food at the same temperature as their warm blooded prey would be. 7 to 10 seconds in the microwave or warm water added to the food should not alter the nutritional value. Perhaps there is also the issue of digestive upsets but if your cats are eating cold food from the fridge and not having any problems with it, then fine, no worries.

 

[lemur 6]

I've heard plenty of times never to feed your cat hot food since they can burn themselves easily (sensitive mouths), but never anything with cold food. To me, it seems common sense that canned food like tuna would be served cold (fish are cold blooded, and you pull them out of pretty cold water, especially deep sea fish like tuna). I eat raw fish too all the time, and I prefer that on the cold side (warm sushi? yech!).

 

[moggiegirl]

Fish is not even a natural part of a cat's diet. Our domestic cats are evolved from the African Wild Cat who lives in the desert and doesn't eat fish. Cats like fish because of the strong aroma. Tuna fish from a can is cooked, not sushi. It really is best to feed cats food that is room temperature or slightly warmed, lukewarm, not hot and not cold. But if your cat has no problem eating cold food from the fridge and doesn't have any digestive upsets from eating cold food, there is no need to worry.

But a cat's natural diet in the wild is not cold, it's body temperature, and that's why many cats will turn up their nose at food served straight from the fridge.