Only choosing the best ingredient for your cat food is not enough. Contaminated cat food containers can cause upset stomachs and food poisoning in your cat. With increasing summer humidity, the risks of contamination can increase. Therefore, it would help if you took proper measures to store pet food safely.
In order to keep your cat food as fresh as possible, you need a decent storage container or some other system in place. It’s not enough to grab any old box or choose a random cabinet for your cat food storage.
You can consider these steps for knowing how you can store your cat food
Keeping wet or cat dry food properly ensures that your cat does not catch any form of infection and stays healthy. Here’s what you need to do in order to store that food in the correct way while still maintaining a convenient access point.
Keep the cat food container cold
Try to store your pet food in a dry and cool place. Preferably this should be under a 26°C temperature. Humid conditions will lead to mold formation and will contaminate the food. If the temperature is unusually high on some days, you might want to consider refrigerating the container for some time. On regular days, a secure inner space might suffice.
Always choose airtight containers
Airtight containers will help you keep the cat food in a new state as long as possible. Storing food in airtight containers prevents it from infiltrating any pets. If cat food container is not adequately airtight, humidity can lead to contamination by mold formation.
Try to store the pet food in the bag
Every pet food comes with its back. Try to store the pet food in the original bag to keep it fresh. Keep this bag inside an entire container. These bags come with good qualities that can avoid any form of infiltration over time. If you don’t have the option of using the original bag, look for freezer-safe bags so that you don’t have to deal with torn bags, which could lead to contamination, imperfect freezing, and other issues.
Try choosing glass containers
Always try to choose containers made out of glass or metal. Plastic containers can sometimes impart smells to food that are not desirable. In addition, plastic containers get scratched easily, which can become a potent place for the collection of bacteria.
Glass containers might require a little more care than plastic, but the extra effort is worth it. The food will stay fresh for longer and also taste better to the cat.
Store little at one time
Do not try to store the entire years’ food at once. Storing food for a few weeks will keep the food fresh and prevent the cat food container from any form of contamination.
Freeze the food
If you want to store excess cat food, you can freeze the entire food. Double wrap the food you want to freeze and keep it in the chest freezer. This way, you can store it for six months, and the food will remain unspoiled whenever you take it out.
You should never freeze canned food
While canned or wet pet food can be kept in the refrigerator for a few days by plastic wrapping it, you should avoid freezing canned food. Freezing often changes the texture and taste of the food.
Use a proper scoop to get the food out
Do not insert your cat’s feeding dish into the bag containing the pet food directly. It can cause contamination and spoil the entire food. Instead, set aside a scoop for the purpose of putting cat food into your pet’s dish. Make sure to wash the food scoop with soap thoroughly every time you use it.
Dry the cat food container well
Washing the container regularly is also an important part of your cleaning routine, so don’t skip this particular step. Frequent washing and deep cleaning can do away with a lot of potential issues that might occur otherwise. However, drying out the container is just as important.
A moist container is always a place for mold breeding and bacterial infections. Therefore, it is advisable to dry the cat food containers well before storing them. In order to avoid contamination, you might want to reserve a specific cloth for this purpose. After drying the container with a cloth, it’s also a good idea to leave it upside down for a bit in order to make sure that there’s no dampness left. Make sure to prop it up so that there’s airflow to allow for water evaporation.
If you do not consider the storage techniques, your feline pet can suffer from digestive issues to allergic reactions that will be painful for your cat. Being very careful about how the cat food is stored and served will ensure a healthy feline pet.