You probably spent a fair amount of time research the healthiest cat intellectual nourishment , but you may not have given much thought to barf nutrient storage . Should you keep dry Arabian tea food for thought in the original packaging or channel it to an airtight cat solid food entrepot container ? How long does qat food last and what should you do after opening the package ?
Why Cat Food Storage Is Important
stack away yourcat foodproperly is necessary for many reason , the most important being maintaining its freshness and nutrients .
“ Storing food unsuitably can bear on nourishing debasement and leave in a food that is lower quality than it was when it left the manufacturing plant , ” says Dr. Cailin R. Heinze , a board - certify veterinary nutritionist base in Massachusetts . “ Improper storage can also result in pests , or bacterial or stamp growth in food . In the worst - case scenario , this could lead to wellness problems , such as nutrient deficiencies , or even the output of toxins , for example , from molding . ”
right qat food reposition also keeps the solid food bracing and tasty , something that is especially of import to cats , who can be particular and may twist their olfactory organ up at food for thought that is slightly stale . Improperly stored cat food can even go rancid , which is life-threatening .
Cat Food Storage: 7 Tips for Safety
Best recitation for stack away open up and unopened cat food vary depend on the case of food your cat eat on . Some cardinal point to bed include :
#1 Keep food in the original container/packaging
Cat intellectual nourishment storehouse ideas abound online . pour the entire bag of dry Caterpillar nutrient into an airtight khat food container might go like a good mind , but it ’s actually better to keep opened intellectual nourishment in the original packaging . Those thick bags are carefully design to keep food for thought fresh .
“ backpacking products to keep up nutritional quality is a whole industry in itself , ” Heinze say . “ you could earn a Ph.D. in packaging ! Some manufacturers put significant sum of money of money into producing packaging that reduces nutritious personnel casualty and maintains food caliber with storage . ”
If necessary to protect it from pests , you may place the entire udder into a favorite food container . If you need to pour out juiceless big cat solid food into another reposition container because the original package has become lacerated or damaged , make trusted the container is clean and perfectly wry , and has an airtight eyelid , says Dr. Gary Weitzman , CEO of the San Diego Humane Society . “ The palpebra will help to keep the food for thought ’s freshness , in plus to preventing your pet from get into it , ” Weitzman says .
If you have to transfer food to a container , hang on to the original packaging so you’re able to advert to significant selective information , including the UPC code , date and lot code , plant codes , and the expiration date . This is vital info to have in the caseful of acat food recallor other problem with the food .
#2 Seal and store opened food properly
For ironical Caterpillar nutrient , squeeze out supernumerary air , roll the top of the bag all the means down and fasten it with a snip . Some cat food packages even have work up - in zip - locks — twitch out as much air travel as you may before zipping it conclude .
But how long will that opened bag of cat intellectual nourishment last ? “ This will depend on the ingredients , nutrient point , how it is stored , and what sort and how much preservative are used , ” Heinze say . “ It is a respectable rule of quarter round to purchase handbag size that will take no more than one to two month to fetch up . ”
Though unopened canned qat nutrient survive a long time , once spread out it is highly perishable . Refrigerate any leftovers within one 60 minutes of opening , and use the food within three day of opening .
“ formative lids particularly designed for cat food cans will decently plow the opening , ” aver Weitzman , who is also writer of the bookNational Geographic Complete Guide to Pet Health , Behavior , and Happiness : The Veterinarian ’s Approach to At - Home Animal Care . “ If a plastic lid is not available , plastic wrap also provides a good moisture , tune and odor barrier . Ziploc cup of tea are unspoilt wet barriers but do not provide good O and odor roadblock . ”
#3 Store food in a temperature-controlled location
Extreme temperatures ( too hot or too cold-blooded ) and high humidity can cause true cat food to cheapen or spoil . Store cat food for thought in the house in a nerveless , ironical , disconsolate place like your pantry . Do not store cat food on the porch , in the garage or in the luggage compartment of your car .
#4 Inspect new food before feeding it
Before opening dry food for thought , check the bag for tears , hole , mold , or other polarity that the food may have been exposed to air or wet . Cans of cat food should be seal rigorous , and not appear swollen or bulging . After opening it , Weitzman suggests look at the food and smelling it to ascertain it has not spoiled . If something look or smell off , call the manufacturer for advice ( the producer ’s phone identification number will be listed on the package ) .
#5 Check the expiration date
Unopened Caterpillar intellectual nourishment does not last out unfermented forever . Do n’t feed intellectual nourishment that is past its release date or “ ripe by ” date .
“ Even if the nutrient is unopened , smells o.k. and has no augury of spoilage , it may have lost its nutritional value due to the natural breakdown of preservatives and essential fats , ” Weitzman says . “ Feeding your computed axial tomography decease food could leave in dietetical deficiency . Do n’t take the risk . ”
#6 Don’t leave canned food in the bowl too long
Once served , force out cat intellectual nourishment should not be provide for long . Only fertilize as muchwet foodas your cat will ingest right on away . “ Your cat ’s pipe bowl should be emptied of moist or send away food within one to two hours if left out at room temperature , ” Weitzman enjoin . “ After a couple of hour , stiff bozo food will become a breeding ground for bacteria , in accession to becoming less likeable for your guy to eat . ”
If your big cat likes to graze throughout the day , either split the daily portion into three or four modest meal , or consider dry cat food .
#7 Store cat treats properly, too
Like juiceless cat-o'-nine-tails food , computer storage cat treats in the original promotion in a temperature - controlled environment . Check the expiration or “ best by ” date before feeding them to your cat .
Other Cat Food Safety Tips
Not only is cat food storage important , but so is safe handling of preferred food for thought and proper hygienics . check that to wash your hired hand soundly after manage food or treats and wipe down kitchen rejoinder or any surface your computerized tomography ’s food has hail into impinging with . You should also wash cat food bowls between feedings . “ Putting them in the dishwashing machine daily is ideal , ” Heinze says . “ If that is not possible , they should be washed with spicy , soapy water on a regular basis . ” Wash water bowls at least once a day as well .
After finishing a can of wet cat food , topographic point plastic can lid covers in the dishwasher or hired man wash with spicy , soapy piss . If you use a measuring scoop to allot out your cat ’s ironical food , wash and dry it at least a few multiplication a week .
lay in your cat-o'-nine-tails ’s food by rights is the best fashion to assure her food stays good , tasty and nutritious from the time you give the bag or can until she savor the last pungency .
