How Long Can You Leave Wet Cat Food Out?

You’re reading this because you are either a culprit or just want to know whether leaving wet cat food out is right or the length of time wet cat food should stay out. Maybe you are among the cat owners who think that storing wet cat food will save you the hassle of making subsequent preparations. Well, if that is what you think, then stick around to read some facts that may shock you.

Any experienced cat owner will tell you that wet food stored for long will never be right for your domestic feline. At times, the pouch may not hold what will be enough for a hungry kitty. But more often than not, some of the wet cat’s food will remain. In this case, it would only be a fair idea to pose the logical question “how long should you leave your cat’s food out?”

Well, the shortest and most straightforward answer to this question is 1 to 2 hours. The Food and Drug Administration recommends that wet cat’s food shouldn’t stay longer than 2 hours. However, we won’t just stop here. We must dig deeper to know why you must never leave wet cat’s food out for a period longer than 2 hours. Please read on.

How long can you leave wet cat food out?  A review of the FDA’s 2-hour window

The FDA recommends that perishable food materials left exposed at room temperature for over two hours should be discarded. While some cat food brands make it a necessity for wet kitty’s food to be stored for a maximum of one hour, others advise that this food is safe even if kept for as long as four hours.

Most of the brands will include a longer timeframe to entice you. Remember they want your money and will tell you everything you want to hear. However, you must note that the timeframes stipulated by these brands are only guidelines as opposed to rules that you must religiously abide by.

Truly speaking, the timeframe will depend on the type of wet food you have for kitty, its level of freshness when you open it, and the temperature at which it will be stored while wet. All these notwithstanding, it will only take between one and two hours (or less) for the wet cat’s food to go bad.

Truly speaking, the timeframe will depend on the type of wet food you have for kitty, its level of freshness when you open it, and the temperature at which it will be stored while wet. All these notwithstanding, it will only take between one and two hours (or less) for the wet cat’s food to go bad.

But, What if you’re travelling or not able to take care of your cat’s diet for almost 24hrs?

Well, there are automatic cat feeders that allow you to store the food and set it in portion according to your cat needs. Vets also suggest people to have automatic car feeder machine that makes their work easy with feline care. For detailed information about cat feeder, I advise you to read this article.

Points to Keep In Mind with Your Kitty Food

Here are the elements to keep in mind if you want your cat’s food to remain edible for a long time even when it is wet:

–  Be keen to check the expiry date any time you buy wet cat’s food– The further the expiry date the longer the wet food will stay without going bad.

–  Try by all means not to leave the wet cat’s food you prepared in direct sunlight– Direct sun will hasten the rate at which the wet cat’s food will go bad. Throw the wet cat’s food away if it remains open in the sun for more than half an hour.

–  Check the ingredients used in the wet cat’s food- The ingredients will either activate or lower the spoilage process.  For instance, fish-based cat food will spoil faster than chicken-based wet cat food.

You will find that if you take these points to heart and keep that in mind, you will be good to go. Sure, it is a bit of extra work but that can certainly help you progress forward in life and preserve your relationship with your feline friend.