How long can raw cat food sit out?

The question is more or less asking how long can raw chicken be left out of the fridge until bacteria becomes a problem. The question is asked in the context of making raw cat food and feeding it to a cat. The questioner wants to know whether it practical. It is practical because my research indicates you can leave it out for up to 2 hours but that must depend upon the ambient temperature. This sounds like a sensible assessment. 

Although perhaps one hour is safer. This is a guideline. There are variables which affect hold times. Chicken is 'volatile' as the chefs say. Some, risk-averse cat owners would say no more than 15 mins or perhaps 30 mins. Sorry for being rather vague.

Raw cat food can be left out for upwards of about 2 hours depending on the ambient temperature but do your own checks please.

That said, commercially prepared wet cat food should not be left out more than two hours (many would say less) in a warm temperature because it starts to smell and a domestic cat won't touch it normally. Bacteria does not grow on it until much later in my experience.

My cat occasionally scavengers wet cat food after it's been out much longer than two hours. What makes it particularly galling is that he won't eat it when it's just freshly placed in the bowl! It's obviously an individual cat preference but 99.9% of cat like commercially prepared cat food freshly out of the sachet or can.

I don't think that the length of time you can leave raw cat food out of the fridge is a problem. The difficulty is making sure that it is prepared accurately with the right ingredients and in storing it carefully in the fridge to avoid cross contamination. In preparation, too, there is a potential for contamination. These, I think, are the bigger issues. Essentially you use say raw chicken and add a commercially prepared pre-mix which adds in all the essential nutrients missing is plain raw chicken.

While on the subject of raw cat food, advocates of it would say that it has the following benefits over commercially prepared cat food:

• improved digestion
• improved faeces with less odour and better volume
• a better coat with less shedding and fewer herbals
• improved energy levels
• weight loss
• better dental health
• better urinary tract health
• people are less allergic to a cat who eats raw cat food apparently.

Raw Diet Cat Food

Raw Diet Cat Food with the proper supplements is arguably best for a cat. Why can't we buy this? Cats have a greater need than dogs and other omnivores for protein in their diet. Cats are obligate carnivores. Cats are adapted through evolution to a low carbohydrate (CHO) intake. Their saliva doesn't start the digestion process as it lacks the required enzyme. Their intestine and pancreas is the same.

There are limitations to substituting plant origin food for animal origin food which are being ignored by the big manufacturers. Cats in the wild eat high protein, moderate fat and minimal CHO. Commercial cat food can lead to protein malnutrition. Cats can't adapt to lower amounts of protein in food. For cats, protein in food is required for energy as well as structural purposes.

Making your own cat food. Photo in public domain.

Cats have a need for increased amounts of amino acids such as taurine, arginine, methionine, cysteine. A cat's natural diet contains these. Taurine is essential to a cat. Some is lost into their bile. Long term (several months) deficiency of taurine can lead to blindness. You can test levels of taurine in blood.

High amounts of CHO may have a negative impact on cats. Cats cannot use starch. Abnormally high levels of CHO are used in dry cat food to make the manufacturing process work.

High levels of CHO reduce protein digestion and increases fecal pH (more alkaline). A cat's liver doesn't contain an enzyme that metabolizes (breaks them down to be digested into the body) sugars. Cats prefer foods flavored with animal products and not sweet flavors unlike people and dogs. Carnivores rely mainly on fats to provide energy.

A cat has specific and unique vitamin needs. She requires higher levels of B vitamin (thiamin, niacin). Anorexic cats can suffer from thiamin deficiency. A cat eating high levels of sea food (high in thiaminase) can suffer from thiamin deficiency. The symptoms are sever muscle weakness. B vitamins are found in animal tissue. They are added to commercial cat food demonstrating how artifical it is.

Commercial cat food has added vitamin A but caution is required in supplementing this vitamin as it can be toxic at incorrectly high levels.

Cats drink relatively small amounts of water getting it from the prey eaten. This reflects their origins in desert regions. Cats eating a dry cat food (kibble) will drink half the amount of water than if eating wet cat food. They do not compensate adequately by drinking water. Wet cat food can increase dental tartar however. My thought: balance between the two but raw diet cat food plus correct supplement is best. Mimic as near as possible prey. Why isn't this available commercially?

An estimated 25%-33% of cats are obese. Obesity can bring health problems such as diabetes. There are several reasons for this. One reason being scrutinized is the quality of cat food. High CHO cat food plus inactivity (indoor cats) means the cat is consuming too much energy producing food and not burning it off. CHO that is not used by the cat is stored as fat. The weight loss diets are not necessarily healthy either as the high fiber content can impair protein digestion.

The more I read the more I am convinced a Raw Diet Cat Food is best but how to prepare it and do we have time?

Source: Debra Zoran DM "Timely Topics in Nutrition - The carnivore connection to nutrition in cats". This source has been greatly reduced in size and content in this post. But the tenor of the source and essential information has been preserved as accurately as possible. I have only referred to limited parts of the original text.

Associated:

• See all the posts on cat food by clicking here.
• From Raw Diet Cat Food to Low carbohydrate cat food