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The litter tray

Join our community of cat lovers on the Mumsnet Cat forum for kitten advice and help with cat behaviour.

Original poster

Cat food and maggots (gross sorry)

33 replies

Misericord · 25/06/2017 23:18

Hello

Warning: somewhat gross post.

My cat will basically only eat Whiskas wet food. We have tried her on several different types, but as far as she is concerned, whiskas fish selection in jelly is the only acceptable dinner (which pains me as it's something like 4% fish...). She tends to nibble on it during the day, so there's usually some breakfast left when I get back from work around 7pm, and then she gets her dinner around 8.30.

Anyway. In the summer heat, I've noticed that when I get home there are little white bits on the food... it took a week or so but after a horrifying bin emptying experience (where her food remains go), I realised these are maggots....

I really hope there weren't flies eggs in the cat food - if not, I assume the flies have been lured by the stinky food and laid in the morning and ten hours later there are maggots. So gross.

Any ideas how to prevent this? Can she have only dry food / are there wet foods that don't attract flies / anyone use anything to cover or protect the food?

:(

Thanks

OP posts:
Original poster
Misericord · 25/06/2017 23:19

Oh and I should say - she has a petlatch rather than a cat flap so there is always some airflow (essentially a locked open window).

OP posts:
Wolfiefan · 25/06/2017 23:21

Don't leave wet food down. Feed less at a time. You can supplement with dried food but be careful as it can be a risk (cats often dont drink enough)

twilightcafe · 25/06/2017 23:25

Hot weather + wet cat food = maggots. My Bengal has dry food during the day if no-one is at home to feed her; then wet food in the evenings and at night when we can wash her bowls.

Melfish · 25/06/2017 23:27

DCat usually has dry food down in the morning and then a sachet of wet food in the evening when I'm home. If she doesn't eat the wet food in a certain amount of time it gets binned. she's normally yowling when it gets put down for her so in practice most of it is eaten in 10 mins. Dry food gets eaten over the course of the day.

WeirdAndPissedOff · 26/06/2017 01:43

Is a pet feeder bowl with a flap an option? It may stop the flies getting in.
Failing that it will just be a case of putting down only enough food at a time to guarantee she'll eat it all.

You have my sympathy, though - we ended up with maggots in our cat food bowls last year (Dsis had fed them for a couple of days and just put the new food on top of the remains of the old) and felt awful!
If it helps, I spent ages looking up the effect of swallowed fly eggs on cats, and the general consensus seemed to be that the cat was unlikely to eat food with eggs on, but even so the stomach acid would most likely kill the eggs, leaving them harmless.

BeepBeepMOVE · 26/06/2017 01:52

I know someone who feeds one cat in a microchip controlled flap hooded litter box- if that makes sense. That's just because one cat needs medicated food but would work in your situation.

In fact you don't even need the microchip flap just a covered litter box with flap enough to keep flies out.

Original poster
Misericord · 26/06/2017 10:21

Really helpful - thanks very much everyone (and for the reassurance Weird!).

Dry food only during the day may be the answer - reassuring that others do this too and I'm not neglecting my puss... she does drink water so not too concerned about that.

Also reassuring that I'm not the only one to have ended up in this situation - just so gross, I felt like a very neglectful 'mother'..:

OP posts:
starfish4 · 26/06/2017 10:40

Yes, I've come across the white specks on their food. If you're not around in the day to lift it if you find them, you could try a mini wet snack before you go out and then leave dry down. Don't forget to keep up with worming.

Branleuse · 26/06/2017 10:43

I only feed my cats half a pouch at a time in the summer, as otherwise they leave some of it and it gets covered in fly eggs in no time. If I only give half a pouch each, they usually finish it, and I give this in the evening, when the flies arent around and theyve got more time to eat it. The rest of the time I give good quality dry food

PinkSparklyPussyCat · 26/06/2017 11:04

I think we've been lucky so far as I haven't noticed fly eggs or maggots on Harry's food. He generally eats most of his breakfast and lunch quite quickly and then grazes on his dinner so that probably helps. He can't have dry food so I'm hoping we don't get flies or maggots as it could be a bit tricky!

Oldraver · 26/06/2017 11:11

Yes this is one of the reasons Ernie has dried food. My last cats would always leave some food and it would get fly blown (the little white eggs that look like rice)

Original poster
Misericord · 26/06/2017 11:34

Hurray for Mumsnet, giving practical answers and reassuring me I'm not awful and my cat isn't going to die!

Thoughts on good quality dry food beloved of your cats? She's currently on Royal Canin dental food (she's 10 and has bad tartare from a lifetime of no tooth upkeep) which she loves fortunately but is quite fatty, so I'd like to mix something else in with it rather than just giving her more of that.

OP posts:
PinkSparklyPussyCat · 26/06/2017 11:45

When Harry could have dry food his favourite was James Wellbeloved dry.

Prokupatuscrakedatus · 26/06/2017 17:15

Luckily, Sev likes his water. So when it's hot (which right now it isn't) - he gets dry food during daytime and wet at night.

On the other had - aren't maggots sources of protein ... Grin

Branleuse · 26/06/2017 17:16

My cats love James wellbeloved turkey and rice. Its the only dry food they actually like, and its cheaper on amazon. I buy a 10kg bag and it usually lasts my two cats about 3 months

www.amazon.co.uk/d/Cats/James-Wellbeloved-Dry-Food-Turkey-Adult-10/B00CDHA6G6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1498493652&sr=8-1&keywords=james+wellbeloved+cat+food&tag=mumsnetforum-21

PinkSparklyPussyCat · 26/06/2017 17:47

I was never brave enough to buy a 10kg bag in case he changed his mind!

twilightcafe · 26/06/2017 22:19

Tiger-Lily likes either Royal Canin Bengal food or Iams senior cat food

Original poster
Misericord · 27/06/2017 08:56

Thanks all - and for the link too, Branleuse, as I too fear paying that much when she might just change her mind, PinkSparkly!

3 months for two cats?!

OP posts:
RitaMills · 27/06/2017 16:09

I've never heard of this before Shock

Definitely something I'll look out for in future, I never had the issue of my boy leaving wet food as he usually scoffs the lot in one go but I've just changed his wet foot from Royal Canin to James Wellbeloved and its not going well. I bought one box of the turkey flavour which he liked then stocked up on two boxes of lamb and one of turkey (pets at home have it on offer) and he isn't too keen on the lamb, noticed he will eat a bit wander off then repeat this a few times until it's gone, think I'll give up on it and swap back to his usual, least then I wont have to worry about maggots.

steppemum · 27/06/2017 16:14

yes, we get this all the time.
Leave down wet food, flies attracted to it, lay eggs which look liek white specks.
These will turn to maggots in the bin.

We do as pp have said, in warm weather, e only get fed what he will eat. I pick up th erest and put in fridge.
But he does have dried food down which he is happy to eat.

In warm weather I find he will eat a lot more in the cooler evening, and fewer flies around too.

Original poster
Misericord · 27/06/2017 22:36

Thanks everyone - you have been so helpful xx

OP posts:
norsksun · 28/07/2018 07:59

Hi - I have a question. Maybe someone here will know. I am feeding my cats canned food as well as dry. Anyway, when I put the canned food out - it looks fine - cats eat and leave some - within fifteen minutes there are small (I want to say beige/light very tiny bugs - I probably couldn't see them except they are moving) - what are they? I have fed cats this food for twenty years and have never had this problem. This same tiny bug has appeared on dry food. Anyway - I'm stumped. Anyone know?

Antoinette12 · 06/04/2019 15:17

Love you ladies. I emptied my bathroom bin, where my daughter has been putting empty wet food packaging and to my yuckety yuck, there were little critters. I have decided to lay off the wet food for a little while as it doesn't fill Prince up anyway. Thank you

cDLjpS12345 · 15/08/2019 16:25

sure why no one answered you. The answers were not helpful but common sense ones. They're captain obvious'...

I believe the cat food already contains fly eggs, which can lay dormant for 3 months.

I empty my trash frequently because of if left sitting a week in the trash, maggots will appear. I have no fly's and yet any trash with moist cat food in it will produce maggots within about 7-10 days.

I try and throw any left overs outside but that just brings in racoons, opossums, coyotes and foxes. So for me emptying the trash a couple of times a week even when I have no trash, keeps the eggs from turning into larvae.

DontCallMeShitley · 15/08/2019 16:46

I found that wet food left out would attract flies very quickly and as the patio doors are left open for access to the cat enclosure I spent most of the time opening and closing the doors and picking up and putting down the bowl.

I would suggest a timed feeder, I have one with a recording function so that you can call your cat at meal time without being there. Once the time is up for eating, it moves on until the next meal.

If you want a good dry food Lily's Kitchen is popular here although I prefer to feed wet but appreciate the problems.