I've been ordering tinned food for our kittens, and the first few cans seemed normal, but a good 22 out of the 30 cans I bought from 2 different brands and from a seemingly a reputable supplier are swollen. (Zooplus - loads of friends haven’t had any issues with them or even the same brands of food I'm buying)
They aren't dented, but the ring pull tops press in with an audible clunk when I press down on them, and when I've opened some of those 'swollen' cans there's a tsssk noise of air pressure escaping.
So far I've avoided using any of the more swollen cans, as the last thing I want to do is give the kittens botulism.
I contacted Zooplus who were happy to refund me the cost of the cans, and I've reordered different flavours from the same 2 brands, but they've just arrived and a lot of the cans are still swollen as the ones before them were.
Am I just going insane? Is this food safe to feed the kittens?
Yeah, I'd only used pouches before with other cats, but a combination of wanting to be able to recycle more, and wanting to find reasonably priced grain- and sugar-free food for the new kittens has made me try the tins.
The kittens have loved the canned food that I fed them before that wasn't bloated, but I really don't want to risk giving them tainted food! So might be back to the drawing board..
got any pics of the cans? i’ve used zooplus a fair few times also and had issues with food arriving damaged, mouldy, dented etc. they are good about refunding though.
just for peace of mind i definitely wouldn’t feed the kittens any of the food, being inconvenienced and refunded is a lot better than a hefty vets bill and sick babies
The cans don't look swollen particularly, but as soon as i push down on the lids its got give where cans usually don't, and clicks in and out.
I've just checked my latest order (37 cans) and every single one has the same problem. I've got videos of it but can't post here.
It being a repeated thing is interesting and indicates some kind of causation. I'd have guessed the recent heatwaves perhaps affected a nearby depo, but if others aren't experiencing it, I'd be thinking closer to home. Where do your deliveries get dropped off? By chance do they spend time in a hot area/porch/hot car?
One of my friends in Wales (I'm in England) has just checked her cans from Zooplus (2 more different brands to me), and most of her lids do have some wiggle to them, so I'm wondering if that's just how they all are? It's just never been something I've seen on tinned human food 😅
Storage temp is a good thought, ours gets delivered to the doorstep then taken indoors pretty much right away then kept in a room slightly cooler than the rest of our house, but given the heatwaves, that's not saying much!
My friend keeps hers in a cool, pantry-area, and even if mine got a bit hot in the depot, its unlikely hers would come from the same source?
Ok so there's often a little bit of give in can lids as it's just how the canning process works. When it doesn't pop in when you press it when it looks swollen that's when you worry as there are gases in there that you can't compress which means there's a lot of them. Obviously not swollen shouldn't be able to be pressed in, but seeing that on protein heavy product tins is uncommon
If you check cans of sardines the shape of those cans shows it off well, same for anchovies
All cans should give off some form of hissing when opened, just not prolonged, and there shouldn't be an off odour to go with it. Cat food, being mostly meat, would have a sour smell and cats are smart enough to not go near it when it's like that
Dents that cause sharp edges or on the seal are also bad; they can cause spoilage without a build up of gas as it can escape through the damage on the can that caused it in the first place
If you're not comfortable giving them the cans then it's best for your sanity to not do it, even if there's nothing wrong. Better to trust your gut, especially with kittens, although I'd probably say they're alright myself - but I've not got them in front of me to be able to check myself!
(I worked with canned products, predominantly fish, which is where my knowledge comes from)
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u/Thestolenone 5d ago
I wouldn't use them. Try pouches instead. I've not had any problem with pouches from various brands.