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Cat Forum / Health and Behavior / May 2005Stale Cat Food - G Rated
Dry cat food just sitting in the bowl gets stale after about 4 hours, by the next morning it is very stale, no wonder my cat wants new food on top of old food. I did the taste test. New food, ok...it's just cornmeal..a few chicken lips...(no worse than bolonga, or potted meat)...but the food piling up in the bowl?...icky! no texture at all...almost rubbery from soaking up moisture from the air, just stale. So, I want to get him a bowl with a nice air-tight lid, this should cut down on wasted dry cat food. BTW: Since Ruprecht starting eating science diet, I can tell he looks noticeably better in general, he poops less, and eats less often. I found out, he likes the fancy feast tuna concoction. As small as the can is, he still only eats maybe a 3rd of this. > Dry cat food just sitting in the bowl gets stale after about 4 hours, > by the next morning it is very stale, no wonder my cat wants new food > on top of old food. Don't put fresh food over old food- you're contaminating the fresh food. When cats crunch dry food, they drop saliva-moistened crumbs into the bowl. Food + moisture + air = breeding ground for bacteria. Put smaller amounts of food in the bowl- 1/8 -1/4 cup at a time and throw out the old food and wash the bowl before adding fresh food. "Phil P." > Put smaller amounts of food in the bowl- 1/8 -1/4 cup at a time and throw > out the old food and wash the bowl before adding fresh food. Sounds like a good idea, believe it or not, he does not chew his food, he just swallows it, I've watched him. But sounds like a practical regimen. Esp smaller amounts...I've been donating more to the strays (un-eaten), than he eats himself. > "Phil P." > Put smaller amounts of food in the bowl- 1/8 -1/4 cup at a time > and throw > > out the old food and wash the bowl before adding fresh food. > > Sounds like a good idea, believe it or not, he does not chew his food, he > just swallows it, I've watched him. Cats usually swallow small and especially pellet-shaped nuggets whole without chewing (so much for the dental benefit of dry food, eh?). But the cats still drop some moistened pellets back into the bowl. So, in addition to becoming stale, the old food harbors bacteria and contaminates the fresh food. But sounds like a practical regimen. Esp > smaller amounts...I've been donating more to the strays (un-eaten), than he > eats himself. A cup of adult dry food usually contains around 400 kcals- give or take 25 kcals- excluding 'lite' or high fiber diets. So, 1/4 cup contains about 100 kcals. 180 kcals/day is just about right for a neutered 4 kg cat (~45 kcals/kg/day). A 1/4 cup in the am and a1/4 cup in the pm should be just about right for a starting point. If he starts to gain weight or leaves food in the bowl by the next feeding, cut back. You might want to get a good pediatric scale- it will help you monitor your cats' weight and make dietary adjustments before weigh gains become noticeable and a problem. In cats, it much, much easier to prevent obesity than to correct it. http://maxshouse.com/weighing_a_cat_made_easy.htm http://maxshouse.com/album/Titi-on-scale.jpg Phil But the > cats still drop some moistened pellets back into the bowl. So, in addition > Phil Nuh-ungh! I didnt eat cat spit...oh no. :M > But the >> cats still drop some moistened pellets back into the bowl. So, in [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > >> M Next thing ya know ... you'll be lickin' your privates. >> But the >>> cats still drop some moistened pellets back into the bowl. So, in [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > > Next thing ya know ... you'll be lickin' your privates. Isn't that every man's dream?  Signature.oO rach Oo. > But the >> cats still drop some moistened pellets back into the bowl. So, in [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > > :M LOL! You probably eat cat spit all the time without realizing it! ;> I've given up worrying about it since it hasn't killed me yet! Hugs, CatNipped > But the > > cats still drop some moistened pellets back into the bowl. So, in [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > > Nuh-ungh! I didnt eat cat spit...oh no. Yeth you did. I didn't want to be the first to tell you. :) > A cup of adult dry food usually contains around 400 kcals- give or take 25 > kcals- excluding 'lite' or high fiber diets. So, 1/4 cup contains about [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] > > Phil ACK! A baby scale price ranges from $125 to $1450!!! I'm glad my vet allows walk-in weighing for free! ;> Of course I don't have any cats with weight or health issues so I don't have to weigh them often enough that schlepping them there becomes a PITA. Hugs, CatNipped > > A cup of adult dry food usually contains around 400 kcals- give or take 25 > > kcals- excluding 'lite' or high fiber diets. So, 1/4 cup contains about [quoted text clipped - 19 lines] > > ACK! A baby scale price ranges from $125 to $1450!!! You can get a 1583 for about $200. I'm glad my vet > allows walk-in weighing for free! ;> Of course I don't have any cats with > weight or health issues so I don't have to weigh them often enough that > schlepping them there becomes a PITA. Subtle weight gains and losses are difficult to notice in a cat you see every day- especially in long-haired cats. Weight gains and losses can also be early warning signs of illness. An aside, you're near Austin, right? http://www.news8austin.com/shared/video/buildasx.asp?AdShown=&vids=29690&mswmext=.asx Phil >> > A cup of adult dry food usually contains around 400 kcals- give or take > 25 [quoted text clipped - 35 lines] > also > be early warning signs of illness. True. However they getted weighed every week on my digital scale and about every month doing the walk-in thing at the vet. Is that not watching it close enough? > An aside, you're near Austin, right? > > http://www.news8austin.com/shared/video/buildasx.asp?AdShown=&vids=29690&mswmext=.asx > > Phil Sort of. I'm in Houston. I couldn't open the link you posted - it doesn't work in Windows Media Player or RealPlayer. What software do you need to run it? Hugs, CatNipped "CatNipped" <lcrews@houston.rr.com> wrote in message > > http://www.news8austin.com/shared/video/buildasx.asp?AdShown=&vids=29690&mswmext=.asx > > Phil > > Sort of. I'm in Houston. I couldn't open the link you posted - it doesn't > work in Windows Media Player or RealPlayer. What software do you need to > run it? Plays on my WMP. >>> > A cup of adult dry food usually contains around 400 kcals- give or >>> > take [quoted text clipped - 47 lines] >> >> Phil Oh, never mind, changing the last part of the URL to mswmext=.wmv makes it work on Media Player. We have the same situation here in Houston too - more kittens in kitten season than there are foster homes available. I've been thinking about fostering a lot lately. Hugs, CatNipped >>> > A cup of adult dry food usually contains around 400 kcals- give or >>> > take [quoted text clipped - 47 lines] >> >> Phil LOL - at first I thought you meant the ad for the mental health organization that runs before the newsclip (which would, I admit, probably have been appropriate for me also!) ;> Hugs, CatNipped > Cats usually swallow small and especially pellet-shaped nuggets whole > without chewing (so much for the dental benefit of dry food, eh?). B Hodge crunches. Isn't that chewing? Signaturehttp://www.slywy.com/ > > Cats usually swallow small and especially pellet-shaped nuggets whole > > without chewing (so much for the dental benefit of dry food, eh?). B > > Hodge crunches. Isn't that chewing? No. Cats crunch and cut dry food. Cats can't chew as in mastication like dogs and humans because their jaw hinge (condyloid process) is shaped like a door hinge (bar) with no lateral motion. Their jaw is designed this way for hold struggling prey securely. Dogs' and humans' hinges are more oval-shaped which allows rotary motion. http://maxshouse.com/anatomy/Dentary/Mandible-right-medial_view.jpg > Dry cat food just sitting in the bowl gets stale after about 4 hours, > by the next morning it is very stale, no wonder my cat wants new food [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > So, I want to get him a bowl with a nice air-tight lid, this should > cut down on wasted dry cat food. I learned (without actually tasting) the same lesson years ago. But my solution was to store dry food in a large ZIPlock or Hefty bag. They come in various sizes all the way up to 2.5 gallons! The advantage is that you can squeeze out nearly all the air before zipping closed .... which you cannot do with a Tupperware container. > I learned (without actually tasting) the same lesson years ago. But my > solution was to store dry food in a large ZIPlock or Hefty bag. They come > in various sizes all the way up to 2.5 gallons! The advantage is that you > can squeeze out nearly all the air before zipping closed .... which you > cannot do with a Tupperware container. true true taste test, i mean a thing potatoe chip I could see getting rubbery, but I figured cat food was compacted and oiled enough...but I was wrong! >> I learned (without actually tasting) the same lesson years ago. But > my [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > but I figured cat food was compacted and oiled enough...but I was > wrong! But there is a good use for stale cat food, especially fish flavored. Use it in your tuna casserole when your mother-in-law shows up for dinner. Adds a zesty flavor she'll love and never figure out. > >> I learned (without actually tasting) the same lesson years ago. But > > my [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > > But there is a good use for stale cat food, especially fish flavored. Use > it in your tuna casserole when your mother-in-law shows up for dinner. Adds > a zesty flavor she'll love and never figure out. Thank you good doctor sir, how much do I owe you please... |
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