How long does canned food stay fresh?

I just recently started giving my cat canned cat food due to some health issues and to help increase her water intake. I mix the canned food with water and fill the dish with water everytime I see she has drank it empty.

Being new to canned food, I'm wondering how many days it stays good in the bowl? I'm thinking only one but wanted to make sure I wasn't being wasteful.

If you cover it with a tight fitting lid or put it in a Ziplock bag and close well, the can should last 2-3 days. If you want, you can always freeze half the can and then take it out to defrost when you need it. We do this all the time and it keeps things fresh.

Oh I have the same question about that too. Usually I just cover the top of the can. But now I know.. ><

Originally Posted by Paul Mc

I just recently started giving my cat canned cat food due to some health issues and to help increase her water intake. I mix the canned food with water and fill the dish with water everytime I see she has drank it empty.

Being new to canned food, I'm wondering how many days it stays good in the bowl? I'm thinking only one but wanted to make sure I wasn't being wasteful.

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If you cover the can or put the food in a container and cover it, it should last 2-3 days in the fridge. As far as leaving it in the bowl (you're talking about the left over she didn't eat, right?), if it were me I would toss it and make her fresh for every feeding. It will dry out and bacteria will eventually form on it.

I now store my remaining canned cat food in glass storage bowls because I'm not sure which canned cat food may still have cans lined with BPA.

Maybe I'm crazy - but, I didn't like storing the food in the cans, anyway.

Here's an article in 2010 you might find interesting: http://www.truthaboutpetfood.com/art...free-cans.html

I don't keep the stored food in the refrigerator for more than 3 days, I let the food I serve to the cats out until it dries up - sometimes they get fed before I go to bed and it's left out all night, or, whenever it's eaten during the night.

I hope I'm making sense - I'm being distracted by a cat trying to use my keyboard.

I store unused portions of wet food in those starfrit glass containers as I too, dont like atoring it in the cans or in plastic. It'll last two or three days in an airtight container, though my cat Schweppie won't eat it if it's more than one day old.

I empty my cat's wet food into a glass or a ceramic bowl and cover it with plastic wrap before placing in the fridge for two-three days, however our cats usually finish it before then, Their on a diet of premuim grain free dry food, wet food, and some fresh cooked protein.Try not to leave cat food out for too long, it quickly turns from wet to dry.

Paul MC,

I noticed that you were trying to increase your kitty's water intake. I had to do this as well a few years ago because my cat kept getting urinary tract infections (which she would bring to my attention by peeing on my bed). A vet recommended getting a water fountain to encourage her to drink more, and it worked! She hasn't gotten a UTI since then, and both my cats and my new kitten drink from it constantly.

I'm not sure if you've given this a try, but maybe my experience can be helpful to you.

The one I'm using now (the best so far), is the Drinkwell Ceramic Lotus Pet Fountain, which is easy to keep clean, and apparently very appealing to my cats as it has strong falling streams in three different directions in addition to the two tiers of bowls. The filter is actually washable, so you don't have to replace them often at all.

The last fountain I used for years was also a kitty favorite, the Catit Deluxe Drinking Fountain, another 360 degree waterer where they could lick the water as it came down the sides of the dome. A few months ago I would have given this a pretty good review since my cats loved it so well, despite having to replace the filters often (which got expensive) and even though the reservoir was a pain to refill. Then I discovered one day that the reservoir (of "clean" water) had very unpleasant stuff in it that the filter wasn't eliminating. It was impossible to completely clean the bowl, as there was only one small pipe that would open to fill the water, and it wouldn't completely drain the reservoir. I didn't dare use a chemical to disinfect it, as I would never be able to rinse all of the cleaner out of the bowl. So I finally tossed it and bought the Lotus Fountain, which is a breeze to clean and fill.

I started out with cheap(er) and smaller fountains like this single-stream fountain, which were not at all successful. They had awkward charcoal filters that had to be replaced often and didn't allow the water to circulate well inside the fountain. The water stream quickly became weak even with constant cleaning of the fountain, the filter, and the pump, and would end up trickling down the front and kinda defeating the purpose of the stream fountain to begin with.

Circulating pet waterers didn't really appeal to my cats or cause them to drink much more than before. It's falling water that really attracts them.

So if you haven't tried a pet fountain yet, I highly recommend it. Just look for something with falling water that's easy to clean and doesn't require replacing expensive filters often. I've found from my experience that if you just bite the bullet and pay for an expensive fountain up front, you end up saving money and frustration in the long run.

(By the way, I'm not endorsing PetSmart... it's just the only store in my area that carries my cats' food, so I go there frequently.

)

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Take care, and good luck with your kitty's health issues!

Lauren, Lanie, Lexi, and Lily