The summer heat is drawing near and with it comes thoughts of road trips, family trips and camping trips.
If you are planning on traveling with your cat this summer you might want to take a few extra precautions when packing the cat’s food. Is that canned cat food really safe to be left in a hot car?
Let’s explore.
Can Canned Cat Food Be Left In A Hot Car?
A heated car is not the place to keep cat chow if you intend to keep it fresh for a long time.
If the container is overheated for an extended period of time, it will begin to lose its taste and nutritional value.
However, you should use caution if the temperature is high and prolonged.
Choosing the correct cat food is not as easy as picking one up off the shelf in your nearby store.
In order to preserve the nutritious value for a longer period of time it will be important to keep the temperature in check.
Dry cat food doesn’t lose all of its nutrients once it arrives at your home.
As long as the temperature is kept under 100 degrees Fahrenheit and the cat food remains in good condition, it can remain good for seven days after being purchased.
Dry cat food that has been kept in a hot car will have developed a foul odor and been exposed to too much moisture heat may speed this procedure.
The food for your cat has to be stored in a cool and dry area, and away from the sunlight.
For the cat chow to age according to schedule, it’s important to maintain its quality by keeping it at a room temperature setting.
You have to realize that heat is damaging to dry cat food and that it will get stale after a period of time.
The amount of heat that is tolerable by the food is contingent on storage size as well as the temperature.
Placement in an oven is one problem which you must avoid with dry cat food.
It will be burned to a crisp if left in a hot vehicle.
Due to the overall influence of the heat, there’ll likely be a change in color of the food.
Can Canned Cat Food Go Bad In Heat?
Canned food is often believed to perish as soon as it is exposed to high temperatures, which is not the case.
It is commonly known that canned food is cooked to high degrees and that animals process cooked foods differently than uncooked foods.
You may be baffled as to how something safe for human use can be harmful to animals, but that’s what happens when a food is heated beyond its state.
In the case of canned food, the temperature may rise due to several reasons.
A lot of people believe it’s great, but you should always take precautions when it comes to your food and your cat’s needs.
Canning temperatures should not exceed 100 degrees if food is to be preserved and bacteria or germs will not have the chance to grow.
Cans should be kept at a temperature of 84 degrees F or below.
Obviously, it relates to the canned food that humans consume rather than
Even if the temperature outside doesn’t hit 100 degrees, the temperature inside a car can.
It is possible for automobiles to get excessively hot if they sit in direct sunlight for too long.
If your canned cat food has reached a temperature over 100 degrees, you should discard it.
It may be alright, but you may also want to check to see whether the can is deformed in any way.
How Long are Canned Goods Safe in the Heat?
Canned products may be stored in the refrigerator or in a cool place in order to retain their quality for longer periods of time.
Canned cat food should ideally be stored in a fridge or freezer to keep it fresh until it’s time to eat it.
To do this, you’ll need to refrigerate the can of cat food and put it in the fridge as soon as you purchase it from the store or when you’re finished eating the contents in the can of cat food.
Canned cat food has a shelf life of about five years from when it’s purchased and sealed.
As a result of this, the expiration date on food that is exposed to heat is usually sooner than on food kept at room temperature.
As a canned cat food owner, it’s smart to know how to store it, especially in the summer time.
If the cat doesn’t like the canned food it will eat around it and not show any sign of discomfort.
The aftertaste of canned cat food that’s been warmed could be unpleasant to the cat’s tongue.
Cat food is known to get moldy and it does not smell pleasant at all.
Even though the food is still edible, it’ll likely not be as appealing to the cat’s taste buds as it used to be.
Some cats are sensitive and reactive to foods they regularly consume.
If your cat is reactive to a particular food, it may be best to avoid eating that food altogether.
Cats with a skin problem may also react poorly to different types of foods, so it’s best to consult a veterinarian regarding what kind of food to feed a cat with skin problems.
Can unopened canned cat food go bad?
Canned cat food has a four-month to three-year shelf life when unopened and adequately packaged, thanks to chemical preservatives.
On the other hand, open canned or wet cat food will only last five to seven days.
How To Tell If Canned Cat Food Is Bad?
If the can of canned cat food has dents, corrosion or rust on its surface or any cracks or tears on its cover or body, the food could have already been contaminated as well as any liquid around it destroyed.
After a while of trying to figure out why your cat is vomiting or refuses to eat the canned food for a day or two, then it’s necessary to change brands.
In most cases, this indicates that the food is spoiled and shouldn’t be consumed by humans or animals.
You should avoid cans with major dents or deep splits in them.
It is best to throw out any cans that show signs of damage.
When considering a canned cat food, you must look at the most recent expiration date on the packaging. Food that has gone bad will obviously smell off and should be avoided at all costs.
Canned products are safe for roughly an hour. Keeping canned cat food in a hot climate is not a smart idea. This requires positioning
As a general rule of thumb, don’t rely on cans that have become warm to touch as a sign of spoilage; heat changes cans and liquids should be examined closely for safety before being fed to cats.
Also Read: Can Cats Eat Lasagna?
Conclusion
Not if you’re talking about canned food, otherwise yes it would be alright.
To be safe, if you unintentionally spilled any cat food while transporting it, it’s best not to risk your pet eating any of it and throw it away instead.
Despite the fact that this may be the tastiest of the canned cat foods, it’s not the safest food to leave in your vehicle’s trunk on a hot day.
