Dry food Storage

I usually buy an 8 pound bag of Nutro NC Kitten for my 10 and 11 month olds but they are growing so big (maine coons) and consuming more food. Also they are not eating canned food right now because my girl broke out with sores from one of the canned foods so we are limiting her diet at the moment. They are going through the bag pretty quickly. I was thinking of buying the 20 pound bag since it would save quite a bit of money but I'm wondering how long it will keep once open? Does anyone else buy the really large bags for just 2 cats? They love it when I open a fresh bag. They can clearly tell the difference between it and a bag that has been open 3-4 weeks.

I use metal popcorn tins, the kind you get at Xmas (with kitties on them, of course!) to store extra dry food once the bags are opened. It keeps it nice and fresh!

I don't buy more than my cats will eat in a couple of months. I used to get the really big bags, but they would last 3-4 months each and there was a definite difference in the smell before they were gone. Not that they were "bad", they just smelled kind of stale. The cats definitely prefer a fresh bag over one that's been open even a few weeks.

WELL, our feline family is somewhat, umm, larger, so we always buy the big bags. If you go to Petco, you'll find storage bins that have vacuum sealing lids. That way, the food stays fresh to the last kibble. They're well worth the investment and they're stackable and attractive, too!

What I do (with 2, 7month old kittens and 1 adult cat):
- Buy a large bag (did buy the 8lb, have just ordered 2, 15lb bags).
- Put as much as will fit in an air-tight cereal container (holds about a 4.5lb bag worth of food-just enough for about 3-4 weeks).
- Double bag the rest in ziploc freezer bags w/ name of food and date bag opened.
- Put ziploc bags in the big freezer.

When I am ready to use a bag of food (from the freezer), I get it, put a paper towel in it (to help absorb any moisture from condensation/thawing), zip it back up and let it thaw for about 1 day (or while I'm at work). When it is room temp, I toss the paper towel and refill my air-tight cereal container.

This way, I figure the frozen food will stay good for a long time, and the only food that is "out" is about 3-4 weeks worth in the cereal container.

A nice bonus is that the cereal container (I use a rubbermaid) fits in my pantry with the groceries and IF the cats should be able to get to it, they can't chew through it or get the food out.

Art

I only have two cats and the bags I buy are something like 18 lbs. I open it and dump it into an clean litter tub. I buy the 35lb. pails of kitty litter which seal pretty well. I clean it out and it's just the right size to hold a whole big bag of food which usually lasts me about 2-3 months.

I bought a huge bucket and a lid (separate) at lowes that would easily hold 20 lbs,. I think it was like $8.

Leslie

John's dad had a horse for awhile that had to have a supplement, and it came in tubs with sealing lids. After the buckets were empty, I cleaned them out and now I use them for the cat food.

We have a pet food container that is perfect. It is made out of the same material as a collapsible cooler with a large screw on lid. This keeps the food fresh and holds the whole 20lb bag. I will see if i can find the manufacture info.

Here is a link

http://www.petfooddirect.com/store/p...5Fid=380&Page=

It is the Soft Food storage container and works great.

5 cats here.

We use the old litter cans with tops on them that snap down. As I buy a 20lb that last about 3 weeks with them it stays fresh and they will eat it down to the last bit I pour out. One thing I never do is pour fresh on top of old. I use all the oldest first then pour in the new bag. The tall 20% more will hold a 20lb bag.

Fluffee

I have an Iris pet food storage bin big enough to hold 20 lbs. But we actually have three 6 lb bags of various foods in it. I leave the food in the bag inside the bin, if possible.

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produc...5&pcatid=17935

Just make sure to keep the food in the bag when you place it into whatever you are using for storage. When you dump food, you expose all of the kibble to air. The bag also provides an extra layer of protection.

I use some very large plastic storage tubs. More of the food I buy is sold in boxes, so it doesn't stay fresh for long. I use a small washing powder scoop to distribute it into the different bowls. This wrk great for me and you can pick them up pretty cheap too.

Hi Folks,
Here is what I do with larger bags of kibble.
I buy the 'very large' glass canning jars not the regular ones bigger
then quart size at my local ACE hardware store, not bad in price,
like 1.50 per jar and pour them in several of those. I know this
way it is tight and not picking up any plastic odors.
Brenda

Thanks for the suggestions everyone.

We have one of these for downstairs: http://www.petsmart.com/product/inde...ductId=2752020

And just a small cereal container upstairs.

haha food doesn't last long enough to bother in my place, but to stop the kitties (well Boomer) chewing the bags to get more food, we use the big popcorn tins too

I use a large plastic storage container, and a smaller one which keeps about a weeks worth in it so I'm not opening the large container every day.

I feed a very small amount of dry so 4kg lasts quite a while.

I agree with you. I have one and it does seem to keep it fresher. They are a bit expensive but worth the money in my opinion.

Originally Posted by Tarasgirl06

WELL, our feline family is somewhat, umm, larger, so we always buy the big bags. If you go to Petco, you'll find storage bins that have vacuum sealing lids. That way, the food stays fresh to the last kibble. They're well worth the investment and they're stackable and attractive, too!

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