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When feeding raw...

post #1 of 8
9/22/11 at 5:01am
Thread Starter 
If my cats don't eat all of their food in the morning can I save it for their evening meal? Or must the leftovers me thrown out each time?

Thanks!!!
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post #2 of 8
9/22/11 at 5:47am
Quote:
Originally Posted by FedLawyer View Post
If my cats don't eat all of their food in the morning can I save it for their evening meal? Or must the leftovers me thrown out each time?

Thanks!!!
The "by the book" answer is that whatever they don't eat within 30 minutes should be tossed. Bacteria multiples rapidly at room temperature.

Many, many people, myself included, have had no problem with food left out much longer or with picking food up after a bit, refrigerating it and putting it out again later.

You'll have to decide for yourself what to do with that!
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post #3 of 8
9/22/11 at 10:19am
Interesting. I've not heard that raw meat could only be left down for 30 minutes and had to be tossed thereafter... nor does that make sense to me as a "general rule."

I think it all depends on the freshness of the meat; and unless it's already on the cusp of being spoiled, I would absolutely toss it back in the fridge for later that afternoon.

It might be better to determine how much food your cats should be consuming in a day, though, and splitting that into three meals. Or, if you already know the food amount is correct and the cats are just being finicky, you can encourage them to eat appropriately by sprinkling an enticement over the food. I have one cat, Rachel, for whom I have to consistently insist she eat more than she wants. I use Whole Life's Freeze-Dried 100% Chicken Meat treats to encourage her to finish her meals.

AC
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post #4 of 8
9/22/11 at 11:20am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Auntie Crazy View Post
Interesting. I've not heard that raw meat could only be left down for 30 minutes and had to be tossed thereafter... nor does that make sense to me as a "general rule."
I didn't say it was a "general rule". "By the book" means according to procedures or guidelines.


http://www.wildkittycatfood.com/safesthandling.htm

http://www.radfood.com/transitioning_your_cat

http://www.lukesallnatural.com/raw-d...cats-fc-5.html

http://pettao.com/raw_instructions.html

http://www.allaboutdogsandcats.com/N...awFeeding.html

http://cats.about.com/cs/catfood/a/bybrawdiets.htm

http://www.onlynaturalpet.com/produc...et/537000.aspx

http://primalinstinctpetfoods.com/feeding.html
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post #5 of 8
9/22/11 at 12:23pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks all! I was mainly asking because I have a very picky Siamese kitten who will sometimes scarf all of her food. Other times she won't touch it. In particular, last night she ate the Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover's Soul Kitten food (wet) mixed with Aunt Jeni's beef. Last night she ate it all. This morning - totally new bowl of food - she would not eat it. I threw it out, but I thought it was a waste.

And, for me, at least in the mornings, I only leave the food out for 10-15 minutes. So I don't even hit 30 minutes. After that, my cats walk away. So I will try saving it for the evening meal.

Great idea about adding treats to the food. I'll add fresh boiled chicken, their favorite!
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post #6 of 8
9/22/11 at 1:52pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by FedLawyer View Post
Thanks all! I was mainly asking because I have a very picky Siamese kitten who will sometimes scarf all of her food. Other times she won't touch it. In particular, last night she ate the Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover's Soul Kitten food (wet) mixed with Aunt Jeni's beef. Last night she ate it all. This morning - totally new bowl of food - she would not eat it. I threw it out, but I thought it was a waste.

And, for me, at least in the mornings, I only leave the food out for 10-15 minutes. So I don't even hit 30 minutes. After that, my cats walk away. So I will try saving it for the evening meal.
Excellent!

I have a couple of studies around here somewhere (one was on a feral population, another a feline history / scientific study) that postulate cats are hard-wired to eat a variety of prey animals, which certainly makes sense when you look at our housecats' "finicky" eating habits, eh?

I think, if you can do it, feeding several different types of foods - so that the same meals aren't served two / three times in a row - might cut down on mealtime refusals.

Quote:
Originally Posted by FedLawyer View Post
Great idea about adding treats to the food. I'll add fresh boiled chicken, their favorite!
Some additional enticements : A bit of tuna juice dripped over the food, or a (sometimes heavy) sprinkling of catnip, Parmesan Cheese, Forti Flora flakes, or fish food flakes (weird, but it works).

Good luck!

AC
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post #7 of 8
10/9/11 at 3:11pm
My one-cents worth: Ritz sniffed at the commercial raw food I put down around 2 pm, didn't touch it. Four hours later, she ate it with no upset tummy.
I feed a feral cat colony in front of my condo building. They "dumpster dive" when they don't have enough food or were "late to the party". I think their stomachs are made of steel because I keep on seeing them. My point: they don't die of food poisoning.
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post #8 of 8
10/10/11 at 7:44pm
My cats are still transitioning and leftovers haven't been an issue. But with my dogs they sometimes don't eat a meal and we just save it for the next meal time, in fact my husband usually just leaves it out. But I'm feeding whole pieces of meat not processed ground commercial raw.
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