? Can raw food be left out longer than 30 minutes?

[Daddy Jack's Mommy (GA)]

I apologize if I posted this in the wrong forum, but it seems health-related as I don't want them to get sick if I leave raw food out too long!

For those of you who make or buy raw cat food - do you only leave it out for a certain amount of time before removing it and throwing it away, or do you leave it out for them to graze on? If you do, how long are you comfortable leaving it there for them?

I just got my first order of EZ Complete, and I'm excited to get started! I can't say for sure that my cats will share the excitement.

 

[SpotsMom]

When we switched to EZ Complete the kitties stopped leaving food behind at all haha!

You can put an ice cube in the middle of it to keep it fresher a little longer. Ultimately though, cats can eat food that humans never would. They have short digestive tracts so bacteria moves through them before it has a chance to take hold. It would have to be several hours old and stinky before you’d even need to start worrying.

ETA I do use an auto feeder (with an ice pack) to spread the food throughout the day, otherwise they’d scarf it all up as soon as I put it down. I hope your kitties love it as much as mine do!

 

[Daddy Jack's Mommy (GA)]

When we switched to EZ Complete the kitties stopped leaving food behind at all haha!

You can put an ice cube in the middle of it to keep it fresher a little longer. Ultimately though, cats can eat food that humans never would. They have short digestive tracts so bacteria moves through them before it has a chance to take hold. It would have to be several hours old and stinky before you’d even need to start worrying.

ETA I do use an auto feeder (with an ice pack) to spread the food throughout the day, otherwise they’d scarf it all up as soon as I put it down. I hope your kitties love it as much as mine do!

This is the best news! I'll be so happy if my cats love this! And my only real worry was that I wouldn't be able to leave it out for them. I won't leave a whole lot, but I like to leave enough that they can come back and pick on it for a little bit if they want.

 

[Bron and Sheba (GA)]

I feed a raw diet to my cats. They eat it all up at once and I feed 4 times a day but I am home most of the time.
I would not leave raw food out for more than 2 hours at the most on a cool day unless you are using an autofeeder with an ice brick under it. If it was the slightest bit spoiled I would not feed it.

 

[Daddy Jack's Mommy (GA)]

I feed a raw diet to my cats. They eat it all up at once and I feed 4 times a day but I am home most of the time.
I would not leave raw food out for more than 2 hours at the most on a cool day unless you are using an autofeeder with an ice brick under it. If it was the slightest bit spoiled I would not feed it.

I'll definitely exercise caution, just as I do with my own food. I'm hoping that they eat it right away, without concern for leaving it down longer than it need be. Even with my hoping that I can leave some down for Celie (my old, slow eating CKD girl) to go back to, I wouldn't plan on or want to leave it longer than an hour or so, and especially in hot weather. I'll have to figure it out as I go. I may have to get a timer just for her, with a micro chip collar if need be.