Mix dry foods.

chii · Nov 8, 2015

Hi everyone! So my two cats eat dry food, we have three bags of all different flavors, one is duck, one is chicken last one is rabbit. Can we mix all this together in a container?
Again it's all dry food, and it's all the same brand. Don't want to risk hurting tummies!

missmimz · Nov 8, 2015

Have they tried all those flavors before? I really wouldn't mix them up unless they've had them before and not had any issues with it. Besides, dry food goes stale really quickly so I wouldn't open 3 bags at the same time unless they're small and you'll go through it quickly.

On a side note, you might want to consider adding wet food to their diet. Tons of posts in this community about it but cats really need at least some wet food in their diet.

chii · Nov 9, 2015

missmimz said:
Have they tried all those flavors before? I really wouldn't mix them up unless they've had them before and not had any issues with it. Besides, dry food goes stale really quickly so I wouldn't open 3 bags at the same time unless they're small and you'll go through it quickly.

On a side note, you might want to consider adding wet food to their diet. Tons of posts in this community about it but cats really need at least some wet food in their diet.

They have had all the flavors before, we mix up the flavors that's why we have three, I ended up putting them in a sealed container.

They do get wet food once a day, and when I feed them dry I always add water... They are fine on what they have

2cats4me · Nov 9, 2015

Chii said:
They have had all the flavors before, we mix up the flavors that's why we have three, I ended up putting them in a sealed container.

They do get wet food once a day, and when I feed them dry I always add water... They are fine on what they have

Yes is it fine to mix the three flavors if you want to give the cats variety . However next time if you can it would be better to take a couple scoops out of each bag to mix and store in a small metal or ceramic container because storing in a variety of plastic containers ( garbage containers , rubber/plastic containers , plastic pails etc . ) may impart an odor and taste to dry pet foods that adversely effect the taste of the food ..

chii · Nov 9, 2015

2Cats4Me said:
Yes is it fine to mix the three flavors if you want to give the cats variety . However next time if you can it would be better to take a couple scoops out of each bag to mix and store in a small metal or ceramic container because storing in a variety of plastic containers ( garbage containers , rubber/plastic containers , plastic pails etc . ) may impart an odor and taste to dry pet foods that adversely effect the taste of the food ..

I am using a glass container to store it in, it's not a lot, I still have a full bag of food left. I can post a pic

2cats4me · Nov 9, 2015

Chii said:
I am using a glass container to store it in, it's not a lot, I still have a full bag of food left. I can post a pic

Great , glass is good . .

chii · Nov 9, 2015

image.jpeg

chii
Nov 9, 2015

2cats4me · Nov 9, 2015

Oh that is a nice container . I have a small ceramic Treat Jar that I use sometimes . Is that food Natures Variety Instinct ?

chii · Nov 9, 2015

2Cats4Me said:
Oh that is a nice container . I have a small ceramic Treat Jar that I use sometimes . Is that food Natures Variety Instinct ?

Thank you! I like this jar! Yes actually its instinct! My older cat seems to only to well on this kibble.. All other foods bug his tummy

2cats4me · Nov 9, 2015

Chii said:
Thank you! I like this jar! Yes actually its instinct! My older cat seems to only to well on this kibble.. All other foods bug his tummy

Ya welcome .. My cats like the Rabbit flavor . Right now they eat Evo kibble and Fancy Feast Classic . My male needs to lose weight so we are working on that ..

chii · Nov 9, 2015

2Cats4Me said:
Ya welcome .. My cats like the Rabbit flavor . Right now they eat Evo kibble and Fancy Feast Classic . My male needs to lose weight so we are working on that ..

Rabbit is my boys favorite as well!
They also get natural balance wet food, I'm trying to ween them off it, my older male is starting not to like it. Do you like the fancy feast classics? Do you recommend ? I see lots of people use it on here! I always thought it wasn't good to use?

2cats4me · Nov 9, 2015

Chii said:
Rabbit is my boys favorite as well!
They also get natural balance wet food, I'm trying to ween them off it, my older male is starting not to like it. Do you like the fancy feast classics? Do you recommend ? I see lots of people use it on here! I always thought it wasn't good to use?

My cats will only eat the Fancy Feast Classic . They are super picky . Honestly it is not the best you can buy but it is pretty decent . Just buy the Classic as it is low carb , grain free and no wheat gluten .

missmimz · Nov 9, 2015

Chii said:
They do get wet food once a day, and when I feed them dry I always add water... They are fine on what they have

It's really not a good idea to add water to dry food. from http://www.catnutrition.org/faq.html

"Dry food, when moistened, is essentially transformed into bacterial soup. The bacteria load is extremely high in dry food. Add water to the mix, and you've just created an ideal environment for fungi and bacteria to multiply. When you moisten dry food, for example, you make it possible to quickly grow fungi in the food resulting in vomitoxin, aflatoxin, and mycotoxin production. Vomitoxin is a toxic substance produced by mold that can (and has) contaminated wheat used in dry pet foods resulting in serious illness and even death."

handsome kitty · Nov 9, 2015

I actually mix different brands together. I introduce them slowly but at this point I have 4different brands. I had six for a while as I used up the kitten food and transitioned to adult food. I roll up the bags and use a chip clip, one brand has a ziplock closure. They smell like cat food when I open the bags so I assume they are fresh. I keep the mixture in tupperware and have a small container upstairs, one in the foster room (she was adopted yesterday) and one in the kitchen. I only put 1/4 - 1/3rd cup in at a time so isn't out too long. And I feed wet food twice a day.

chii · Nov 10, 2015

missmimz said:
It's really not a good idea to add water to dry food. from http://www.catnutrition.org/faq.html

"Dry food, when moistened, is essentially transformed into bacterial soup. The bacteria load is extremely high in dry food. Add water to the mix, and you've just created an ideal environment for fungi and bacteria to multiply. When you moisten dry food, for example, you make it possible to quickly grow fungi in the food resulting in vomitoxin, aflatoxin, and mycotoxin production. Vomitoxin is a toxic substance produced by mold that can (and has) contaminated wheat used in dry pet foods resulting in serious illness and even death."

Dry food is sterile and does not grow bacteria unless some source of bacteria gets on it after it is in the bowl.

Canned food is also sterile in the can. Both can grow bacteria but only if it gets on the food. So the safe thing to do is to portion feed only an amount that is eaten and no more

missmimz · Nov 10, 2015

Chii said:
Dry food is sterile and does not grow bacteria unless some source of bacteria gets on it after it is in the bowl.

Canned food is also sterile in the can. Both can grow bacteria but only if it gets on the food. So the safe thing to do is to portion feed only an amount that is eaten and no more

Sterile? Uh, no food is sterile. It's food. This is basic science. If you want to risk your cat's health that's on you. I'm just giving you facts.

chii · Nov 10, 2015

missmimz said:
Sterile? Uh, no food is sterile. It's food. This is basic science. If you want to risk your cat's health that's on you. I'm just giving you facts.

There is no way adding WATER can somehow ruin the whole food. Unless there's bacteria in the food

mollyblue · Nov 10, 2015

I only read back a couple posts... but I think if you are only moistening the portion you are feeding, and it is discarded timely, I would be okay with it. I wouldn't be okay with moistening the whole bag at one time and then portioning it out. But, I also feed wet food and dry food, and I don't wet the dry stuff...

missmimz · Nov 10, 2015

Chii said:
There is no way adding WATER can somehow ruin the whole food. Unless there's bacteria in the food

I don't know why you think dry food doesn't contain any bacteria. Pet food companies, even high quality ones (although you didn't specify what you're feeding), aren't producing bacteria free foods. Bacteria is part of every day life, even in the foods we eat as humans. Some bacteria exists on the surface of the food you are feeding. Nothing comes out of factories perfect. When you add water, or broth, or anything like that to kibble you're increasing the chances of that bacteria multiplying quickly. In my opinion, it's not worth the risk. Feed your cats wet food too, get a fountain to encourage drinking, feed kibble without moistening it to avoid the possibilities.

chii · Nov 10, 2015

MollyBlue said:
I only read back a couple posts... but I think if you are only moistening the portion you are feeding, and it is discarded timely, I would be okay with it. I wouldn't be okay with moistening the whole bag at one time and then portioning it out. But, I also feed wet food and dry food, and I don't wet the dry stuff...

When I did wet the dry food, it was only in portions and they eat it fast, is the only way I can get my older cat to eat his food. And he hates wet food.. Extremely picky!

Mix dry foods.

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