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There are these pouches(80 to 100g) which contain "Tuna in Jelly", "Cod in Jelly" kind of cat food. They also come in 400g cans. Once I open a can or a pouch, how long will stay fresh before I need to put it in the fridge?

The food I buy is WHISKAS.

ggiaquin16
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user93353
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2 Answers2

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If you go directly to the company website, they have an FAQ section with the first topic asking if their food should be refrigerated.

Yes. Any unused portion needs to be refrigerated in a sealed container. We recommend using the food within four days of opening. You may want to allow the food to sit at room temperature for about thirty minutes or microwave the food for a few seconds (in a microwave-safe dish - not in the can!) prior to feeding, as some cats do not care for cold food.

ggiaquin16
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Opened cans should be stored in the fridge, at temperatures between 40-45°F, for a maximum of 5-7 days. Any cat or dog food remaining after that time should be thrown out.

From Hill's Pet Nutrition, Inc., Pet Food Storage Tips

I'm sure the same time frame would suit this "Tuna/Cod in Jelly."

newuser101
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  • This appears to be a quote. Can you include the link of where you've quoted this from? –  Jul 12 '17 at 02:33
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    My question isn't how long it can be stored in the fridge. My question is how long can it be stored un-refrigerated. – user93353 Jul 12 '17 at 04:05
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    @user93353 As long as it takes to do what you need to do with it. It shouldn't be stored unrefrigerated at all. How long can you store your cod or tuna unrefrigerated? Simple rule of thumb is to treat their food the same way you treat yours. Fish is still fish, regardless of the picture on the can or pouch. –  Jul 12 '17 at 05:28
  • @GypsySpellweaver Simple rule of thumb is to treat their food the same way you treat yours. Fish is still fish, regardless of the picture on the can or pouch. - I don't eat jellied fish - that's why the question. Is this jelly some kind of preservative or something which keeps the stuff from getting spoiled in the absence of refridgeration. – user93353 Jul 12 '17 at 14:59
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    Sorry for the confusion. I do not know how long, but why not just keep the food in the fridge and avoid further problems? – newuser101 Jul 12 '17 at 20:36
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    @user93353 the package should state "refrigerate after opening" It's hard for us to know what this jelly is without seeing the product too. Would you mind providing us the product name to look up? My guess is that the jelly is simply there to keep the food moist. The cat food cans I buy have a small amount of "jelly" in them and we still refrigerate. As others stated, you wouldn't leave fish out in general. The moisture is where the bacteria thrives so unless it is dry food/dried meats like jerky, it is best to keep it cold. – ggiaquin16 Jul 12 '17 at 20:45
  • @ggiaquin - the package should state refrigerate after opening - it does not state anything either way. The product is this - https://www.amazon.co.uk/WHISKAS-Pouch-Jelly-Tuna-100g-x/dp/B005R0ISXO/ - but there is similar stuff from other companies also. – user93353 Jul 13 '17 at 02:57
  • @newuser101 - why not just keep the food in the fridge and avoid further problems? - that's what I do but I was wondering if I can avoid it - so that I don't have to warm it up later. – user93353 Jul 13 '17 at 02:58
  • I found this website which gives more information about the brand of your pet's cat food. (https://www.tesco.com/groceries/product/details/default.aspx?id=255120899) This website states "Serve at room temperature, surplus food can be refrigerated for up to 2 days." Since this is all the information they give regarding food preservation, I'd say its best to keep the food out until your cat has finished how ever much he wants to eat, which according to (http://www.hillspet.com/en/us/pet-care/nutrition-feeding/cat-and-dog-food-storage-tips) can be left out for a maximum of 4 hours. – newuser101 Jul 13 '17 at 19:54