Fresh food is important for cats and humans, alike. To survive, humans learned how to store food long ago to keep it from spoiling. It only makes sense to take similar measures when managing Fluffy’s food supply. How you store and handle cat food not only affects its freshness but also its nutritional value. Read on to learn what not to do when storing your kitty’s food.
Don’t Store Dry Cat Food on the Shelf
Dry cat food may seem non-perishable, but it’s not. Dry cat food will get stale if left on the shelf for weeks on end. Instead, you can store Fluffy’s morsels in the freezer, which will keep them fresh for a long time. In fact, dry cat food will stay fresh for up to 26 weeks. This bodes well for those of you who like to buy in bulk. Just always make sure to thaw it down to room temperature before feeding it to your cat and be sure to wrap it tightly so moisture doesn’t get inside.
Don’t Get Rid of the Original Packaging
It may be convenient to transfer dry cat food into an airtight, resealable container, but that’s not the best way to keep your kitty’s food fresh. Surprisingly, the bags that high-quality cat food comes in are designed to keep and maintain freshness for as long as possible. But if you do decide to use resealable containers, just make sure to keep the food in the bag then place it in the container.
Something else too – the food’s expiration date, barcode, and batch code appear on the original packaging. These are all important to have in the event of a cat food recall.
Don’t Store Cat Food in High Temperature or High Humidity Environments
Any kind of food -cat food included- should never be left to sit in high humidity or hot environments. Humidity and heat are breeding grounds for bacteria, so always store Fluffy’s food in a dry, cool area.
Don’t Expose Kitty’s Food to Air
Air spoils food at a faster rate so make sure not to leave your cat’s food sitting out uncovered. Exposure to oxygen and light causes food materials to break down. Any vitamin or mineral value will diminish and oil-based or fatty ingredients will become rancid. Bacteria thrives under these conditions.
If you have any more questions about how to keep kitty’s food fresh, don’t hesitate to call us! And have a Happy Holiday Season!
