What to do with expired dry cat food? You should throw it in the trash or recycle it once the expiration date has passed. Besides, you must determine if your out-of-date dry food is safe to feed your pet.
This article will give you the necessary information, including how long you can use it for your cat and how to store it for a certain time. Keep reading to learn more!
What To Do With Expired Dry Cat Food?
Throw Away The Expired Dry Cat Food
If the dry cat food is past its prime, it should go to waste. This is a simple and quick way to remove these items with harmful bacteria and poor quality.
Cat food is easily tossed out after its expiration date, but you must know how to do that with different types. If the food comes in a can, take whatever inside out with a spoon and throw it in the trash. This way helps you avoid feeding your pet poor-quality meals and protect its health.
Even when the best-by date hasn’t come but there are signs of mold or strange smell, you need to throw it right away.
Recycle The Expired Dry Cat Food
Another way you can try to handle the out-of-date dry food for your pet is recycling it. By that, we mean you can donate the newly expired cans to a local shelter for wild cats.
Or, you can repurpose the recyclable container by washing it thoroughly and using it as a box for small stuff like soaps, accessories, etc. But, if it is a non-recyclable container, throw it with the poor contents in the garbage at once.
Related Post: How Long Is Dry Cat Food Good For? How Should You Store It?
Why Shouldn’t You Feed Your Cat Expired Dry Food?
Lack of Nutrition
If the food for your pet smells good, there are no noticeable drawbacks. Still, the nutrient value may be lacking because of its age.
Thus, over an extended time, your fur ball may become undernourished as it doesn’t enjoy the desired nutritional value listed on the package. For this reason, you should be careful before feeding your kitty.
Bacteria and Mold
Out-of-date food can capture the harmful mold and bacteria causing serious diseases to your furry friend. This problem can happen when you place the product on the shelf for a long time. Besides, it’s easy to get spoilage and contamination from other things and become unsafe for your pet to consume. The potential mold and bacteria inside this food type can develop faster to endanger your cat’s health, like aflatoxin poisoning.
Bugs and Worms
Cat food over its use-by date can be an ideal hiding place for creepy crawlies, such as worms and bugs, than fresh, stored food.
These harmful insects can carry dangerous diseases to harm your pet and bother you as well. Besides, they also threaten your loved ones’ health.
FAQs
How Long Does The Dry Cat Food Last?
The dry cat food will last 6 months after opening. Yet, you should feed your cat the proper amount within 3 weeks to a maximum of 1 month. After each meal, give the leftover food proper storage.
Dry food in a bowl can become soggy and stale, like wet cat food, if left for a day. If there is still food in the bowl after a day, discard it before adding new ones.
How Do You Store Dry Cat Food Long Term?
You can store the dry food for your pet in different ways and keep it last longer. Some common methods include using airtight containers, ziplock bags, and freezing cat food. These are simple ways to store dry food better and fresher for a long time.
Using Ziploc bags, you can put the dry food inside and squeeze its edges out to avoid the air.
Yet, if you want stronger and more durable storage, the airtight container is the ideal choice. Besides, you can freeze cat food to prevent the development of bacteria.
Related Post: Do You Add Water To Freeze-Dried Cat Food? The Truth
Conclusion
Now, you can answer the question, what to do with expired dry cat food? If you see the dry food for your feline passes its use-by date, you need to throw it away in the trash or recycle it. These ways are simple to do and can restrict the negative impacts on your pet.
Besides, note that feeding your cat out-of-date food can lead to serious problems such as lacking nutrition and growing harmful mold and bacteria. Your cat will easily get sick and need to visit the vet. Therefore, give your furry friend fresh meals to keep it healthy and happy.
