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Wet cat food disposal

post #1 of 17
12/29/09 at 9:15am
Thread Starter 
I wasn't sure which forum to post this in, but there's something that's been a thorn in my side for quite some time. How does everyone dispose of unused wet cat food? My cat never eats ALL of it, and putting it in the trash just doesn't cut it unless I want my house to smell like rotting cat food ALL the time. I don't have a working garbage disposal, so I've been scraping it into a grocery bag, tying it off, and then putting it in the trash. But when I'm doing that twice a day, that's a lot of grocery bags, and I feel like I'm being wasteful. I feel like using ziploc bags is wasteful as well.

The only thing I can think of is having a separate airtight container for cat food, but I don't really want to be blasted in the face with old wet cat food stench either. Does anyone have any creative ways to dispose of wet cat food?
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post #2 of 17
12/29/09 at 9:17am
You can put the food in a ziplock bag and put it in the refrigerator or freezer. Just add to it until the bag is full, then take it out with the garbage.
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post #3 of 17
12/29/09 at 9:18am
Our cats just eat it all so I don't have to dispose of it... but you could get some of those diaper disposal bags (they sell them in packs of 100 at the dollar store) and use those instead of grocery bags?

Or you could just feed her less and cover and refrigerate the unused part and feed it to her at the next feeding, thus eliminating the need to toss it at all?
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post #4 of 17
12/29/09 at 9:33am
Try feeding your cat a smaller amount each time and maybe adding in one extra meal to finish it. This way he'll eventually eat it all and you won't have to be throwing any away.

With canned food in the fridge, I usually add some hot water to it and stir to warm up the food and then serve. Maybe your cat will eat more that way (plus it adds a little extra water to the diet).
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post #5 of 17
12/29/09 at 12:05pm
How about scraping it into a bag before you scoop the litterbox and use that same bag? The freezer idea is good too, you can keep it in there til the bag's full and it won't stink.

Also try feeding less? Unless your cat is like mine, who very rarely finished all the food in the bowl or plate. Even if you give a tiny amount she will still leave a bit. Like she's afraid to eat it all in case she won't get any more ever. ??? Or maybe she comes from one of those cultures where it's rude to finish everything on your plate..
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post #6 of 17
12/31/09 at 10:38pm
Um....get a dog? LOL. I never have leftover canned food..... .

Other than that I don't know. What do you do about litter? You could scoop the litter and put the uneaten food in the same bag so you don't feel like you're wasting the bag.
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post #7 of 17
12/31/09 at 11:56pm
I also recommend feeding smaller servings. I use the petco/petsmart plastic lids to cover the cans. I was using ziplocks to keep the can covered in the fridge and that was becoming wasteful. I feed a 3oz can daily and divide the can into fourths since that is all Neko will eat in one sitting.
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post #8 of 17
1/1/10 at 4:48am
Quote:
Originally Posted by DarkMavis View Post
How about scraping it into a bag before you scoop the litterbox and use that same bag? The freezer idea is good too, you can keep it in there til the bag's full and it won't stink.

Also try feeding less? Unless your cat is like mine, who very rarely finished all the food in the bowl or plate. Even if you give a tiny amount she will still leave a bit. Like she's afraid to eat it all in case she won't get any more ever. ??? Or maybe she comes from one of those cultures where it's rude to finish everything on your plate..
Ootay (rb 5/09) was like that too. If I put two kibbles in front of her she would only eat one. She ALWAYS had to leave food in the dish.

I have trouble with uneaten canned food too. And now that I am using food with no artificial preservatives I notice it stinks in the garbage a lot sooner than the other stuff did.

I don't use big trash bags, I use grocery store bags, doubled, as my trash bags, so I take the trash out to the barrel every two days, so that takes care of the problem.
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post #9 of 17
1/1/10 at 7:21am
This might sound weird, but I actually throw out a lot of non-solid food using the toilet. Leftover soup, soggy cereal, wet cat food, etc. all gets flushed. I find that if I put it in the trash it ends up leaking and/or smelling horrible.

This is an especially handy trick for when you find that yogurt you bought a month ago but never finished, and which has now turned into a science experiment.
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post #10 of 17
1/2/10 at 2:32pm
My boy prefers wet, never finishes his food, and he always wants fresh, so I probably throw out more food than he eats. But I just scrape it into my kitchen trash container, and I've never noticed any odor, nor has any visitor ever commented (my sister would be sure to mention it if there were any smell).
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post #11 of 17
1/2/10 at 2:53pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by NicoleGray View Post
This might sound weird, but I actually throw out a lot of non-solid food using the toilet. Leftover soup, soggy cereal, wet cat food, etc. all gets flushed. I find that if I put it in the trash it ends up leaking and/or smelling horrible.

This is an especially handy trick for when you find that yogurt you bought a month ago but never finished, and which has now turned into a science experiment.
I wonder how that would affect a septic system though.
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post #12 of 17
1/2/10 at 3:31pm
My girls almost never clean up their wet. I scrape into whatever plastic bag still has integrity, but won't readily clean up sufficiently to be reused for anything I want to eat. Used ziplocks are great. And I find that if they are closed properly between additions, I can just leave it on the counter where I do their food. I probably use each about four times, before pitching it in the garbage. I do not have smelly garbage.
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post #13 of 17
1/2/10 at 6:28pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by otto View Post
I wonder how that would affect a septic system though.
I don't know much about private septic tanks and if they have special requirements in terms of pH balance or anything like that. I live in NYC, so as long as the pipes can handle it, your golden. I've mostly assumed that food is basically the same as what goes into the toilet anyway, just a little less processed (sorry, I am gross).
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post #14 of 17
1/2/10 at 7:25pm
I have never had a leftover food issue, however, I feed a my cats a frankenprey raw diet, which means I regularly have bones, skin, fat, and bloody sandwich/freezer bags to throw away. This can get to stinking faster than one might imagine.

My remedy - a mid-size cooler chest that seals when you put the lid down. I put a plastic bag in there and fill it up during the week, then tie it off and dump it with the rest of the garbage on Fridays. It's a little odd, but it works. (And, hey, they don't call me Auntie Crazy for nothing. )
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post #15 of 17
1/2/10 at 8:09pm
Ku Ku never finishes off whole can, she only eats very small portions of wet food no matter how hungry she appears to be. I used to waste so much wet food before because of that.

I divide the can of food into 4 to 8 portions when I feed her.
Put a plastic lid on the can and put it in a fridge or freezer.
Lasts about 1 week as long as it's kept airtight in a fridge.
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post #16 of 17
1/3/10 at 6:59am
Quote:
Originally Posted by NicoleGray View Post
I don't know much about private septic tanks and if they have special requirements in terms of pH balance or anything like that. I live in NYC, so as long as the pipes can handle it, your golden. I've mostly assumed that food is basically the same as what goes into the toilet anyway, just a little less processed (sorry, I am gross).

Yes, I saw you are in NYC, that's why I mentioned septic tanks. I live in a rural area, no sewers, it's all septic tanks. I know people will put bad meat down their toilet, saying it's good for the septic....

I have tried once or twice to flush uneaten canned food down the toilet but it doesn't flush right down, it takes four or five flushes. So I gave it up as that is a big waste of water!. I have a deep well, but you never know when a drought will hit. (and I live in YOUR watershed. The reservoirs here supply NYC with water )
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post #17 of 17
1/3/10 at 11:01am
I never have to throw away wet food. I will open a 5 oz can, give them both some out of it, and then I have a container I put the unused portions in, and that goes into the fridge until the next feeding. They never leave any on their plates. If they do, they usually go back and eat it a little later, or the dog winds up cleaning off their plates.
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