Throw Away Expired Cat Food?

[BonitaBaby]

So I realized to check on the expiration date of the unopened bag of Petcurean Now Fresh dry kibble. Unfortunately for me and my wallet, it expired Oct 2017. I need to throw it away, right? Just thought I'd check in case anyone thinks it's still fine...

at least I got it on sale for $16 on Chewy instead of the original $40 I paid for the first bag from Amazon.

 

[DreamerRose]

No, don't throw it out. Those dates are wildly in accurate. Unless you see bugs or mold, feed it to your kitties.

 

[lalagimp]

I think it depends on your environment. Smell it. Oils go rancid. If it's not rancid, it's usually okay. I won't feed frozen raw foods that far expired because of freezer burn.

 

[Blakeney Green]

I would open it, take a look, take a sniff, and if it still seems okay I would use it.

Like DreamerRose said, companies are very overcautious with their food expiry labeling. Most nonperishable/semi-perishable foods are good to eat well past when they "expire."

I would just go by common sense looking at the product rather than relying on the date. If it looks gross then by all means toss it, but if it looks like it's supposed to I would personally feel fine using it. (Cat food or human food, I would say the same thing about either one.)

 

[KarenKat]

My roommate’s cat ate expired kibble and she started to get listless and drool. She had no lasting health effects but it was definitely not great. I’m not sure how expired or if it had any discernible off smell. Oct 2017 seems kind of long, if it was me I would toss it to play it safe.

If you do feed it, just check that your kitty is acting normal and when she goes up to the bowl to eat has no averse reaction before eating the food. If not, it’s probably fine? L

 

[BonitaBaby]

Thanks for the replies! The more I think about it, I will toss it to be safe. I'm scared thinking of bringing my cat to the emergency vet or vet specialist. Last time cost me $2,500 because the emergency vet was terrible so I went to the vet specialist. I'm convinced it was my fault for letting her lick a half-cooked, half-raw egg (cooked in olive oil) and/or letting her lick my take-out plates. Stuff like curries. So I paid all that money back then. I felt awful for getting her sick with vomiting blood and diarrhea that time. She got pancreatitis and took a while to recover. Lost a lot of weight. Better to throw out $16 than get a sick baby and expensive vet bill.

I bought that bag to take advantage of a sale on Chewy as I've done with lots of wet foods in the past. The wet foods my cat stops eating as soon as I stock up. Now I know to just buy a little at a time.

 

[BonitaBaby]

I think it depends on your environment. Smell it. Oils go rancid. If it's not rancid, it's usually okay. I won't feed frozen raw foods that far expired because of freezer burn.

Yeah, I'd better toss. I live in very HOT L.A.

 

[Tobermory]

So here’s what my vet told me about dry food (which I don’t feed, but we were just chatting about cat food). He said all dry food contains mites, busily munching down on your kitties’ food and reproducing like crazy, possibly causing some of the allergy issues people see in their cats.

He recommends freezing dry food for at least three days when you get it home. That will kill the mites so they can’t continue to multiply and potentially cause a reaction. The little mite corpses are still there, of course, but the numbers will be significantly lower than if they’re allowed time to reproduce and so they’re less likely to be a problem. You can always transfer some of the frozen kibble into ziplocks after three days and keep smaller amounts in the refrigerator or something really airtight.

And of course there’s the whole going rancid thing...

All of this is to say that I’d definitely toss it if it were me! (“Nooooooo,” scream bazillions of tiny mites. )

 

[DreamerRose]

That's interesting. Mingo doesn't seem to like dry food when we get down to the last of the bag. Maybe that's why.

 

[BonitaBaby]

Tobermory that's really gross and good to know! I'll try freezing the next bag of kibble in batches (not enough room in the freezer).

 

[Tobermory]

Tobermory that's really gross and good to know! I'll try freezing the next bag of kibble in batches (not enough room in the freezer).

I know! Not a pretty image. Eew.

 

[BonitaBaby]

I just came across this site and it has great information on the storage mites in dry kibble (and human food like cereal).

Storage Mites in Cat & Dog Food | Vet's Kitchen Blog

It sounds like going grain-free helps, which is good news for the kibble I'm currently feeding.

 

[cheesycats]

Email chewy customer service. Send pics of date lot number etc. they should send you a new bag no charge.

 

[Willowy]

Do you know anyone who feeds a feral colony? I'm sure they'd appreciate the donation.

Most products are usable for at least a year after the expiration date, except for highly perishable items like milk. The taste and texture may suffer, though, and of course our spoiled housecats won't stand for that! But the ferals shouldn't object as long as it isn't rancid.

 

[BonitaBaby]

Email chewy customer service. Send pics of date lot number etc. they should send you a new bag no charge.

Thanks! I'll try this.

 

[BonitaBaby]

Do you know anyone who feeds a feral colony? I'm sure they'd appreciate the donation.

Most products are usable for at least a year after the expiration date, except for highly perishable items like milk. The taste and texture may suffer, though, and of course our spoiled housecats won't stand for that! But the ferals shouldn't object as long as it isn't rancid.

Unfortunately, I don't. I do know of a feral colony nearby and recently realized that I should try to find someone involved in feeding strays and TNR to help the feral colony. I can't do it myself.

 

[Willowy]

Hmm, I suppose you could just go dump the food at a place know the cats will find it, but if you don't know where they usually eat that could be difficult.

 

[Willowy]

Hmm, I suppose you could just go dump the food at a place you know the cats will find it, but if you don't know where they usually eat that could be difficult.

 

[Willowy]

Hmm, I suppose you could just go dump the food at a place you know the cats will find it, but if you don't know where they usually eat that could be difficult.

 

[lisahe]

So here’s what my vet told me about dry food (which I don’t feed, but we were just chatting about cat food). He said all dry food contains mites, busily munching down on your kitties’ food and reproducing like crazy, possibly causing some of the allergy issues people see in their cats.

He recommends freezing dry food for at least three days when you get it home. That will kill the mites so they can’t continue to multiply and potentially cause a reaction. The little mite corpses are still there, of course, but the numbers will be significantly lower than if they’re allowed time to reproduce and so they’re less likely to be a problem. You can always transfer some of the frozen kibble into ziplocks after three days and keep smaller amounts in the refrigerator or something really airtight.

And of course there’s the whole going rancid thing...

All of this is to say that I’d definitely toss it if it were me! (“Nooooooo,” scream bazillions of tiny mites. )

That is super-gross but thank you for sharing, Tobermorey! Just in case anyone's skeptical, here's a Cornell Feline Health Center page that briefly mentions these mites.