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Cat food infested with meal worms

post #1 of 4
12/10/09 at 6:31am
Thread Starter 
I bought a large amount of Purina Kitten Chow in Aug. I have been donating them the shelter. Now the boxes I still have has Indian meal larvae in them. I put the food in ziplock bags, then in storage bins and put them outside (low twenties°f/high thirties°f) to kill the larvae/eggs.

I thinking of emailing a organization that feed stray cats and donate the food to them because I don't know what to do with the food.

Is this okay to feed stray cats cat food with meal worms? I don't think it going to hurt the cats, it's just kind of gross thinking the cats are eating cat food with some meal worms.
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post #2 of 4
12/10/09 at 9:00am
Do you mean meal moth or meal worm? The latter is a beetle.


I've given a few of my cats meal worms as treats - insects like that will not harm a cat. They love them. The cats always chase down and eat any stray beetles that get loose, too, even though those are suppose to be bitter..
If it's meal worms, the worms themselves wouldn't be the problem but their poop would be. It's irritating (to noses and lungs) and a bit nasty (smells acidic).

Meal moths are terrible. The best thing you can do if you have those is throw all of the food away. No one wants meal moths inside anywhere. They make webbing and are just nasty in general - they'll have largely ruined the food.
If the food was infested with meal moths while in your home you're in for trouble. Check everything, even your clothing. If you find them get some meal moth traps.
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post #3 of 4
12/10/09 at 9:50am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by strange_wings View Post
Do you mean meal moth or meal worm? The latter is a beetle.
They were meal moths.
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post #4 of 4
12/10/09 at 9:58am
Ok - They're bad news. A very serious pest.


ETA: I forgot to mention something. I raise meal worms and have had to fight off meal moths for a long time. Over this time I've discovered that the moth larvae can chew through plastic (bags). If the food was in your home, check everything even sealed up dried goods.
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