My cats were meowing for food, so I went to check their dish. I saw there was still cat food from last night in the bowl, so I reached in with a fork to stir it up for them. It's canned food, so sometimes they mash it down and then can't really get to it. Well, as soon as I stirred it up I saw maggots all through it! I'm completely grossed out, but also confused. The screen door has been opened a lot in the last few days and it's been extremely hot lately, so I can understand a stray fly or two getting into the house, but do maggots actually develop that fast?? The cat food's only been sitting there since dinnertime yesterday! I'm totally sicked out. Should I switch to dry food? Is this an unusual exception because of the extreme heat maybe? The cat food isn't cheap, so I hate to dump whatever they don't eat each day, it would be a huge waste, because they do eat it all eventually, but I don't want maggots forming!! Yuck. Advice?
Switching to dry food may be a good plan, especially if the heat is making your cats eat less. Wet food typically costs a lot more than dry. As you said, the cats will eventually get hungry enough to eat, so you can have dry food laying out for them without worrying about what else might get in it. As for maggots, I have no idea how quickly they can hatch, so under 24 hours in the recent heat may be enough time.
Maybe you could give them less canned food but also leave some dry out for them. That is kinda what I do. I give my cat a little bit of canned in the morning (rest goes in refridgerator for the next day) and leave dry out for her for the rest of the day if she gets hungry.
My cats are older and eat less but wont eat dry food. What I do is I divide a can between them in the morning and they usually eat it all. Then later if they complain I divide another can 3 ways I dont have cat food stinking up my kitchen and they get fresh food.
Some flies produce fully formed maggots rather than eggs. They are ready to go from the git go. Try feeding smaller quantities twice a day. Less chance of contamination from flies and less attraction for predators (coons).
Dry food is a good idea, but some cats just won't eat it, so I can appreciate where you're coming from. If that's the case, I'd feed them twice a day. They can eat what they want in the morning, and then again in the evening. If they have leftovers in the mean time, you can refridgerate it inbetween meals and decrease any wasting of food. They might not like it at first, but they'll get used to it. As for the maggots....
