how long to leave partially raw, partially cooked food out

Is anyone using Dr. Pierson's recipe for partially cooked homemade cat food? I see that she cooks it some so she can leave it out "longer", but I don't see anywhere, how long it's safe to leave out. I also saw that "free-feeds", but maybe that was back when she was doing wet food. I couldn't tell.  

Magdelyn said:

 
Is anyone using Dr. Pierson's recipe for partially cooked homemade cat food? I see that she cooks it some so she can leave it out "longer", but I don't see anywhere, how long it's safe to leave out. I also saw that "free-feeds", but maybe that was back when she was doing wet food. I couldn't tell.  

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I used to sear the outside of the chicken thighs in the oven, but have since stopped doing that and just grind them raw.  I've left raw out for a few hours when it was my only option to try to get my new kitty to eat raw with no problems.  Some don't feel comfortable leaving it out that long and that's OK.  I'm pretty sure she does timed meals though.

I also use her supplement recipe for cooked beef and raw pork, but I add finely ground eggshell for the calcium source.

I also follow Dr. P's recipe. I'm still a newbie, and thus paranoid about bacteria so I still sear my boneless meats before chunking. The meat/bone/organ grinds are raw however. The amount of time left out is something I struggle with as my cats will vary in how fast they eat their food. The vendor I purchased meats through recently has not been well received by the connoisseurs, so it's taken between 2-3hrs for them to finish, whereas before they would eat everything within 20min. I've had no ill effects either way, so I guess it's okay?

I free feed my cats raw, a practice strongly recommended to me by the breeder who has been doing it for almost 10 years.  The cats regulate their weight beautifully, there's no finicky habitsl, and no GI issues.  And I can't argue with the convenience!  I've several times thought about switching them to timed meals, but once done it would be hard to reverse so I've been very hesitant.

I'm just as concerned about safety as anyone else though, so I bought a chilled food bowl (the "Frostybowlz") that keeps food at 55 degrees for about 10 hours.  This has done wonders for peace of mind, and also keeps the food nice and juicy.  I just have to swap out the ice pack twice a day when I fill the bowl.

I guess each person has to find their comfort level with this, but if I can get away with free feeding I'm sure you are just fine for 2-3 hours.

I free-feed raw as well. I don't have a chilled bowl. Kitty eats the food pretty quickly most of the time, so it ends up being like scheduled feedings, but the food has occasionally stayed out for 4-5 hours with no ill consequences. If I need it to stay out longer, I leave it out partially frozen.

I used to be a lot pickier with how long our (humans' and kitty's) meat stays out. Several physicians assured me that given a good source for the meat, I don't have to worry nearly as much. Europeans are far less particular about refrigeration than we are, and I don't recall hearing about bacterial outbreaks over there as often as I do here.

Thanks, it's good to hear about someone else who leaves food out. Yes, food-borne illness outbreaks from groceries are quite rare actually, and most of them seem to be caused by something other than meat.  That said, I run across accounts of pets who died from food-borne illness every so often.  So I know there is still a risk.

It is interesting to observe my cats' eating patterns.  I put out most of the food before their prime eating time which is about 8pm - 6am.   About once every week or two they fast for a day and sometimes 2 days - which freaks me out a little so I start coaxing them to eat.  It brings back memories of Charlie's intestinal obstruction when he was just 6 months old, after he ate a piece of a mouse toy.   That was awful...poor thing.  I still have a visceral response of "thank heavens he's ok" whenever I see him eat.

For what it's worth, my brother and sister are both cat owners who switched their cats to raw within the past year.  They both feed like you do - sort of free feeding with regular meals but no time limits.  Again no problems, and one of the cats has IBD and has been on prednisone for over 7 years.  (Almost off it now!)

Whew! That makes me feel a little better about leaving the food out for hours. And what a great idea about the chilled bowl! I'll have to check that out....