How long can wet cat food stay out

I've always left the leftover wet food out until the next feeding, 12 hours later. At that point what hasn't been eaten gets thrown away. It's never been a problem. All my family and acquaintances with cats do the same.

I would never do that. Plus on each can it says Refrigerate after opening. I can see a few hours or so but never 12 hours. My vet said it can go bad after 4 hours even though the cat will still eat it. I'm not chancing it.

Originally Posted by emmylou

I've always left the leftover wet food out until the next feeding, 12 hours later. At that point what hasn't been eaten gets thrown away. It's never been a problem. All my family and acquaintances with cats do the same.

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I've done that before...My family thinks cat food is disgusting, made of the worst parts of an animal like tails and feet with absolutely no cleanliness, so they wouldn't let me put the cat food anywhere NEAR the kitchen...I managed to convince them though and now I put it in a plastic bowl with a lid in the refrigerator. But I never had problems leaving it out, only problem was the entire room smelled like cat food...

darlili said:

Do they leave people food out overnight as well - like meatloaf? I have read of some people who don't refrigerate butter or eggs - can't say I understand it myself, and would never eat in those homes, but I don't get why people won't refrigerate perishable foods, whether human or pet.

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Funny about the butter and eggs comment. My mother in law swears that butter and eggs are fine left out. The live on a sailboat in the winter and travel warmer climates and so have limited space. They also keep a lot past it's good until date. Me never and always keep stuff like that in the fridge! 

I've never been OK with leaving eggs & butter out like that either. I know a lot of people do. It seems kind of old fashioned to me, like we should know better these days.
If I'm going to want soft butter, I'll leave it out for a few hours. And when I'm baking I'll put the eggs out to reach room temperature first. But they're kept in the fridge otherwise.

mschauer said:

The "textbook" answer is 30 mins. That's what the food manufactors all say. I leave it down much longer than that. When I first switched to all wet it would take hours for them to eat it. Now it's usually gone within an hour. But if there is some left after a couple of hours I don't worry about it.

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+1

Cats eat raw food in the wild that's been dead for hours. Mountain lions have been known to work on their prey for a couple of days before it's gone. Therefore, I'm pretty sure cats can eat canned food that's been cooked (which kills bacteria) that's been out for more than 30 minutes without a health issue.

It's more of a behavioral issue -- do you want to train them to eat food as a meal or let them graze?

I feed mine in the morning before work and then when I come home I toss out whatever is left in the bowl and give them dinner. I did some research first to make sure this was okay.

I think we're just used to living with refrigeration and so our tolerance for leaving stuff out is low. But our distaste for leaving food out is cultural and not necessarily supported by science, at least when it comes to cats.

I too, do not believe in leaving meat out any longer than 30 minutes. With my crew, food is gone in less than 5 minutes anyway.  As I do controlled feedings with my cats, I want their food to be as fresh and moist as possible. Everyone gets their amount and if it hasn't been eaten, back in the fridge it goes for later. If I left food out it would likely get eaten alright, but by the one who has already had his share, and before long I would end up with two overweight cats instead of the one we are working on slimming down. 

I agree, and it isn't only cultural -- it's marketing.  The manufacturers have done an excellent job of selling us their "sell by" mentality.  Some foods shouldn't be left out because bacteria love them; approximately and for the most part they are foods that used to walk around.  However, consider the aged beef that gets a premium price... so the walking around rule isn't written in stone.  I keep my butter in a Rubbermaid Snap On glass bowl on the counter with the bread, potatoes, tomatoes, cheese, and onions.  None of them has ever made me sick.

I feed my cats canned food in the am and pm. The food stays down in between and what's left gets tossed before new food is served in a clean bowl.  I do have one little weirdo who likes the food only after it has dried out somewhat and it has never made him sick.  

This is a first world problem we've created here.

I feed my three cats three times a day, a third of a 5.5 oz can per meal. I mix water with the wet food and set it down and leave it until the next feeding. No problems here. I think it's silly to be so paranoid about it after 15-30 minutes of being out. My cats like to graze and don't eat in one sitting. Believe me, I've tried to get them to eat it all in one sitting, but they refuse to conform.

molldee said:

 
I feed my three cats three times a day, a third of a 5.5 oz can per meal. I mix water with the wet food and set it down and leave it until the next feeding. No problems here. I think it's silly to be so paranoid about it after 15-30 minutes of being out. My cats like to graze and don't eat in one sitting. Believe me, I've tried to get them to eat it all in one sitting, but they refuse to conform.

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Its not being silly or paranoid when it comes to not wanting to leave wet food out. Its just common sense. Anything wet breeds bacteria. Your cat may have an iron-clad digestion capable of dealing with bacteria, but this may not be the case for an older cat or one that has a comprised immune system.

Originally Posted by SkyFlake  

I keep my butter in a Rubbermaid Snap On glass bowl on the counter with the bread, potatoes, tomatoes, cheese, and onions.  None of them has ever made me sick.

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The difference is that your butter is under cover, not exposed to the air where dust, hair can get at it. The salt content protects it from bacteria to a certain extent but I'm sure you must realize that if you were to leave it uncovered, it might go rancid pretty quick. That said, I find it a strange contradiction that you cover your butter, but feel okay about leaving your cat's wet food out?

I leave it out for a while so when they get hungry they can always eat more.

Are there any studies done to see how much bad bacteria accumulates on wet food after it's been out for more than 15 minutes? I'd like to see some proof that it's a bad idea to leave wet food out. I mean obviously no one should leave it out all day, yes that's common sense, but I still think it's silly to freak out over it. 

We don't refrigerate the butter (except when the thermometer goes way up).  My wife can't stand hard butter.  It's probably a very unhealthy habit, so refrigerate the cat food. 

I have two Ziploc/Rubbermaid containers dedicated to storing cat food in the fridge. I mark it all up. I only give the kittens half a big can (5.5 oz) or a small can (3 oz) each day, and I can store two big cans in one container. So easy! (I also give them dry food the rest of the day)

Oh, and they scarf it down pretty quickly. I give them about half an hour to an hour to eat, after making sure they BOTH are eating it (Avalon does not like certain rabbit formula, we have discovered). I refrigerate the remaining half of the big can immediately. I have only had "leftovers) once.

My cats always lick the bowl clean because they're always so hungry, so I leave it out for 3-4 hours 

Anyways, regarding canned cat food in general, the can is vacuum sealed when you buy it (at least the kind with the soda-can-like top) so that's why the expiration date is so late. Once you open it, it is like normal meat and poultry and whatever is in the ingredients and should be treated like it. After you open

it for the first time you should refrigerate it with a cover on or wrap it in aluminum foil. Canned cat food is always the best when you first open it, because 

once you open and refrigerate it it loses some of it's juiciness.

Hopefully that was helpful.

I give her about a quarter of a regular can if I'm going to be home. After about 2-4 hours I give her another quarter. She also gets treats, and eats animals from outside sometimes..(we're working on this...). If I'm going to be gone a while she gets half a cooled can or dry, if dry usually at night. Cats can go 12 hours but I try to keep some form of food in her bowl at all times. Some days food gets wasted, but if I keep a schedule she eats good. She sleeps more when I'm away and doesn't eat much at night so that's where the waste sometimes comes from...anybody freeze their food for hot days? She's a black and white.

I used to volunteer at the city shelter and I was told by one of  the vets one day that once the cat is finished eating, immediately remove the leftover cat food/food dish as the cats do NOT like to smell it!  Now I am a furmom with my own two cats.  I leave their dish down for 30 mins tops; like many other cat moms indicate.  Otherwise, it gets hard around the edges, changes color and is just plain yukky!  I also try not to microwave it to warm it up.  My Jody will not eat it.  About1 one hour before mealtime I take leftover cans out of fridge and place on top of stove in middle.  The food warms up nicely.  And/or I mix with warm water.

I agree with you........my cats won't eat either after the food is left out. It does get hard, congeals or whatever.  See my post of today!

Came across this old thread while perusing through the site. I've done countless hours of research, spoke with vets, etc, about how to feed my cats. I have four of them. My oldest was a bit overweight, but the rest were very fit. I feed them every 12 hours, breakfast being dry food and dinner being wet food. They've never been able to finish half their daily amount in one sitting. Lorelei will gorge herself until she looks pregnant (she's a petite cat), and still not finish, so I've never forced them to eat a certain amount or go without for the next 11 hours. I just make sure everyone is getting the right amount, and that clean bowls are put down at every feeding. Never had a problem leaving out the wet food for 12 hours. 

And we always have a little butter sitting out, too. Spreads easier.