Secrets to Keeping Wet Cat Food Fresh While You are Away
You like your food fresh and tasting good and so do your furry four-legged cat family members. Dry cat food is much easier to keep fresh than wet food, but there are a few methods and secrets to help you to make sure Fluffy, gets the best eating experience possible.
1) Dry Cat Food Storage Tips
Kibble or Dry cat food as many call it is pretty easy to keep fresh and prevent it from going stale. You may lean towards thriftiness and buy a large bag of cat food because it is actually cheaper per ounce.
However, a large bag can be stale if you only have one cat, or it can even expire before you use it all.
You should always check expiration dates or best-by dates on all types of pet food before you buy it, just as you do for the food for your human family.
You may be able to keep a larger bag fresh for a longer period of time if you pour the food into an air-tight bucket or container for storage after opening it.
Miniature and portable bag sealer Trick
There is also a new trick that works wonders for all types of bags and containers. It’s a miniature and portable bag sealer.
It uses two AA batteries and you pinch one side together (the side with the + sign on it) for about 3 seconds to warm the device up. Then you simply slide it across the top of the open bag after you remove any air.
It makes an air-tight seal on the food to keep it fresh, and it won’t spill if your kitty decides he wants more and tips the bag over. Dry cat food should be stored in any dry and cool area.
2) Wet Cat Food Storage Tips
Some cats don’t eat an entire can of cat food at one meal but may only eat a portion of it. After you open the cat and take out what your cat will eat, you can put an air-tight lid on it that’s specially made to fit the cans. You can find these in any pet store or grocery store near pet foods.
Then put the remaining covered cat food can in the refrigerator to keep it from spoiling. When it’s time to feed the cold food, either put it out on the counter in advance to come to room temperature or warm it slightly in a microwave-safe bowl before offering it for a meal.
Most cats won’t eat cold and wet cat food because cats designate taste by smell. When canned food is cold, it doesn’t smell as palatable to a cat.
3) Chilling Their Chicken Feast
If you need to go to work or you have to be away from home for several hours, you have an easy way to make sure your cat is fed.
You can pop the can of cat food into the refrigerator several hours before you need to leave the house.
When you are ready to leave the house, you can put the chilled cat food in a bowl for your cat. Since they don’t really like cold food, it will take some time to come to room temperature, and then your cat will enjoy his feast. The food will stay fresh for around 5 to 6 hours.
This is exceptionally helpful in the summertime when it’s warmer and usually more humid in your home.
These conditions will cause the food to dry out quickly, and become unappealing and it can also attract flies and gnats.
4) Feeding Fluffy a Wet and Dry Buffet
Another option for feeding your cat wet food when you are away from the house for several hours during the day is to provide both wet and dry food for your cat.
Put the amount of wet food or a bit less than he usually consumes at once in one bowl. Put dry cat food in a second bowl.
Cats will generally eat all of the wet food first and then they can snack on the hard food throughout the rest of the day as free-feeding food.
Wet food is loved by felines because it sticks to their teeth and gums and they can enjoy the taste longer than dry food that crunches up along with the flavor.
The water content in wet food is also good for your cat, as some don’t really drink as much water as they should.
This is one of the best solutions to feeding your cat during the day when you are gone. Make certain that he has a bowl of water by the food bowls to help digest the food.
5) Automatic Wet Cat Food Feeders
Automatic cat and dog feeders for dry food have been on the market for many years. A new innovative product in the automatic cat feeders allows you to feed wet cat food as well. There are several of these on the market from which to choose.
You can also put dry food and wet food in these new types of feeders. They may rotate to serve the next meal or a lid may flip up to offer their next meal. There are some functions that are amazing today.
Some models allow you to record your voice calling your kitty to eat and many pet parents believe that it helps their feline friends to feel less lonely when they are not at home.
Look for an Automatic feeder With an ice pack in it.
In order to keep wet cat food safe and healthy, you need to make sure that the automatic feeder you choose has an ice pack in it.
This keeps the food cool, while the feeder keeps it covered to discourage pests from bothering the food until it’s time to eat.
Most of these types of feeders will allow you to use a digital timer to dispense food up to 5 times per day.
Some feeders have two large trays in them where you can put the wet and dry food. It can feed one cat two meals or two cats one meal at the same time.
The food is kept fresh with ice packs inside the unit and each lid is controlled by a mechanical timer, so it’s very easy to use.
The most innovative cat feeder is the microchip style, but it doesn’t come with ice packs to be used for long periods of time away from home.
It works by opening a door to the food when your cat places his head through a hood. The feeder reads your cat’s current microchip or an RFID microchip on a collar and then opens the food.
You can serve one kind of food or put two kinds in the dual compartment bowl. When your cat leaves, the lid closes to keep the food fresh.
This also solves the problem of having two cats in one household and one eats too much while the other doesn’t get enough food. It will stop the cat food thief in your home for sure.
6) Enlist the Help of a Relative or Neighbor
If you will be out of town or away from home for more than a day, you can ask a relative or a neighbor that you know well to feed your cat on his schedule. Make sure you trust the person that will be helping you to give them a key to your home.
Another method that helps, in this case, is a smart lock on your door. If you have a smart home, you most likely already have this type of lock on your doors along with a doorbell camera.
A person can ring the doorbell and you can see them on your smartphone and simply press a button to unlock the door and let them in to feed your cat without setting off your alarm system.
When they leave, you simply press one more button to relock the door and turn the alarm system back on. Now that’s easy and innovative all at the same time.
7) Professional Cat Sitters
You can hire a professional cat sitter to come to feed your cat while you are away for several days or on vacation. They charge a nominal fee and will feed and water your cat as well as clean the litter box.
Some cat sitting agencies will even take time to play for a certain amount of time a day with your cat or brush him or give him medication if it is needed.
The fee usually depends on how many times a day you want these items performed. Make certain you check references so that you know the cat sitter of choice is reputable.
There are several manners in which you can make sure your cat gets his wet food on time when you are away for a day or for several days at a time.
This is especially important for cats that are on specialized diets, such as elderly cats. One of these methods will surely work out nicely for you and your cat.
Hi, This is Alexa, and I love cats. This Website is a Complete Journal about how to travel with a cat and other information about Cat Health, Cat Training, Cat Behavior, Cat Foods and more. I hope you find it useful.