Refrigerated canned cat food

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Ted Mayett - 22 May 2006 06:17 GMT

I find myself living now in a very hot apartment. The cat is an old
boy (14 years) in good health. A few months ago I started him on
canned food, one can a day. Name brand and not generic, 5.5oz cans.
Other than that he has his science diet dry food which is always fresh
and available in a bowl.

Suddenly what was happening when summer came was that the canned food
in the bowl was turning nasty looking before he would finish all the
food. It takes him about 6-8 hours to eat a can.

So I tried something, this is the third day now. I had put the
unopened can in the refrigerator many hours before I would open it and
place it in a bowl. I've even taken to refrigerating the bowl so that
is cool also. The idea was that if he would eat the food this way,
being that it was refrigerator temperature it would hold up longer.

Third day now, and he is accepting this, he is eating all the canned
food. Well today's bowl is not finished yet, it is consumed to where
it would be if it had been served at room temperature. So I believe
this can will be eaten also. The first two cans were friskies,
poultry platter and mixed grill. This a 9-lives super supper.

So, the questions... Is this harmful to the cat, serving chilled
canned food like this?

And, would I be able to only spoon out half the can, and then put the
rest back in the refrigerator covered and then serve that later on in
the evening?

My goal is to 'beat the heat' and give him the freshest canned food
possible. And buying the smaller size cans is not an option I am
considering, they are too expensive purchased that way. Besides I
caught a good sale on friskies and am backed up about 60 cans.

--
Ted Mayett
http://www.solitarytrees.net

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Mike - 22 May 2006 07:38 GMT

Hi, Ted.

I feed Isis canned food from Hill's. I called them once and talked to a nice
gal. She said canned food can remain uneaten for about 3 to 4 hours. After
that it's no good. If you serve your cat small portions and make sure he
eats what you give him before you give him more and throw out the uneaten
portion before the clock runs out I think you'll be fine. That's what I do.

I don't think you'll have any problem with serving him chilled food right
out of the fridge. I do this with Isis. However, she's very picky. Some days
she won't that 'day old' food because she's not in the mood. I never keep
uneated canned food in the fridge for more than one day. That's just my
preference. I do put plastic lids on the cans that I get for free when I buy
the food.

I think you'll find that chilled food reaches room temperature in a matter
of minutes. The real point is that a 3 or 4 hour deadline has to be observed
once food is taken out of the fridge. That may be conservative but why take
chances?

Mike in Illinois

>I find myself living now in a very hot apartment. The cat is an old
> boy (14 years) in good health. A few months ago I started him on
[quoted text clipped - 33 lines]
> Ted Mayett
> http://www.solitarytrees.net

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Ted Mayett - 24 May 2006 00:18 GMT

>Hi, Ted.
>
>I feed Isis canned food from Hill's. I called them once and talked to a nice
>gal. She said canned food can remain uneaten for about 3 to 4 hours. After
>that it's no good.

>I think you'll find that chilled food reaches room temperature in a matter
>of minutes. The real point is that a 3 or 4 hour deadline has to be observed
>once food is taken out of the fridge. That may be conservative but why take
>chances?
>
>Mike in Illinois

Thanks. Funny, I had forgotten all about that, how quickly
refrigerated food reaches room temperature, it happens quickly enough.

--
Ted Mayett
http://www.solitarytrees.net

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mlbriggs - 22 May 2006 18:05 GMT

> I find myself living now in a very hot apartment. The cat is an old
> boy (14 years) in good health. A few months ago I started him on
[quoted text clipped - 29 lines]
> considering, they are too expensive purchased that way. Besides I
> caught a good sale on friskies and am backed up about 60 cans.

Feed him canned food when you are there to remove the leftovers. Leave
him the kibble when you are away. Treat the food like you would your own
food. MLB

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Ted Mayett - 24 May 2006 00:18 GMT

>Feed him canned food when you are there to remove the leftovers. Leave
>him the kibble when you are away. Treat the food like you would your own
>food. MLB

Certainly treat their food like our own, thanks.

--
Ted Mayett
http://www.solitarytrees.net

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Joan in GB-W - 24 May 2006 04:16 GMT

> Feed him canned food when you are there to remove the leftovers. Leave
> him the kibble when you are away. Treat the food like you would your own
> food. MLB

That is very good advice.

Joan

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Spider - 22 May 2006 18:48 GMT

Hi Ted,

It is undoubtedly safer to offer your cat refridgerated food, preferably in
small portions so he is not tempted to finish up sour food. It sounds as if
he is quite willing to do this, which is very helpful. Use plastic caps to
seal the tins properly and you will find they will keep up to 2 days. Do
use a fridge thermometer to ensure your fridge is truly cold and safe.
Refridgerated food is certainly not harmful to cats. Some cats dislike
chilled food, and this has caused some people to worry that there is some
hidden (and perhaps more sinister) reason.

I am based in the UK, and I'm sure our summer climate is different to yours.
When it's very hot here (about 80F), neither of my two cats eat as much as
usual and I imagine your cat reacts in a similar way. Your cat's most
important need at this time is fresh water, so make sure he has a reliable
supply. Offer him a small portion of wet food 2-3 times a day. (I feed my
cats three times a day in winter and twice in summer). Also leave him a
bowl of his dry food, which will keep better and provide a snack whenever he
needs it.

Another non-food essential is a cool place to sleep if it gets too hot for
him to play/exercise.

Hope this helps.
Spider

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Ted Mayett - 24 May 2006 00:19 GMT

>It is undoubtedly safer to offer your cat refridgerated food, preferably in
>small portions so he is not tempted to finish up sour food. It sounds as if
>he is quite willing to do this, which is very helpful. Use plastic caps to
>seal the tins properly and you will find they will keep up to 2 days.

So far he accepted half a can, that had been refrigerated unopened,
and then later that day accepted the other half of that opened can.

Thanks for all the responses, it sounds safe to feed him refrigerated
canned cat food.

--
Ted Mayett
http://www.solitarytrees.net

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AlexZ - 31 May 2006 15:49 GMT

: [deleted]

There is noting harmful about chilled food. The problem many owners
face is that the cats refuse to eat it or their stomachs can't retain
it. If yours is fine with it, you are lucky.

However, refrigeration alone is not sufficient for freshness. The can
also has to be closed as airtight as possible. Tight fitting lids are
available in most pet stores, or you can use a tightly wrapped plastic
wrap.

As others have pointed out, it is not good to leave canned food for
more than 3-4 hours. Even if it starts cold, that doesn't buy you much
extra time. But you can teach her to finish her meal in even less time.

Cats are good observers and learners. Feed her twice a day. Serve only
the amount sufficient for that meal. Each time, remove all left overs
after one hour (you can save the kibble in a shrink wrapped bowl but
discard the canned one). Within a few days both of you will get the
hang of the new system: you will learn the right amount to put out, she
will learn to finish it in one hour.

Two square meals are much better for her than constant nibbling.

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