[Nina_gadget]

I just switched to a bigger bag of kibble to save some money, but now I’m worried it’ll go bad before my cat finishes it. Do you guys transfer it to a container or just clip the bag? I’ve seen those airtight cereal containers but not sure if they’re actually better. Also, do you keep the food in the original bag inside the container? Just trying to figure out a simple routine that doesn’t involve too many steps.

[Jen M87]

Airtight containers aren’t automatically better if you’re dumping the food straight in. The bag itself is usually designed to keep the kibble fresher, so I’d just keep it in the original bag and roll or clip the top. The container is more for keeping the bag from tipping over and making a mess.

[Pixel Pete]

Tossing the whole bag in a plastic bin actually made mine go stale faster, the kibble picked up that weird plastic smell after a couple weeks. I just roll the top down tight and use a chip clip now, way less fuss and the cat has not complained. So I would skip the container thing unless you really hate the bag look.

[TommyWires]

I’ve tried the whole container thing and honestly just clipping the bag works fine for me. I got one of those cereal style containers thinking it would be a big upgrade, but the kibble still went a bit soft after a month or so. Maybe I didn’t seal it right, not sure. What actually helped was buying a smaller bag and just accepting the slightly higher price. I know that’s the opposite of saving money, but the big bag always got weird by the end. My cat also seems to notice when it’s not fresh, she gets picky and walks away. So now I just keep the bag rolled tight with a clip and use it within a few weeks. Not fancy but it works. I’d say if the bag is huge, splitting it into smaller batches might be worth a shot.

[Nate Harlow]

I just roll the top down tight and use a chip clip on the original bag, then shove the whole thing in a bin so the cat can’t chew through it. Been doing that for years with the big Costco bags and the kibble still smells fine at the bottom. The bin is mostly to keep my cat from staging a heist, not for freshness.

[Emma Mirren]

I just leave it in the original bag and fold the top over a couple times. The bag keeps it fresher than most containers anyway, so transferring it always felt like extra work for nothing. My last bag took about six weeks to finish and the kibble was still fine at the end.

[Eddie___K]

I’d skip the cereal containers. A big bag usually lasts my cat a couple months and the food near the bottom gets noticeably less appealing to her by then. Smaller bags more often beats one giant bag for freshness, even if the price per pound is worse.

[RyanT]

I actually disagree that the bag is automatically the best option. I’ve been using one of those big screw-top vittles vault style bins for a while and my cat’s food stays way fresher than it ever did in the bag. Maybe it depends on the bag, but the resealable strip on the last one I bought gave out after like two weeks and I was just folding it over with a binder clip after that. The bin seals tight enough that I don’t get that stale smell at the bottom of the bag anymore. I do dump the kibble straight in though, no bag inside. I know people say the bag has some kind of liner but honestly I haven’t noticed any difference in how long it lasts. It’s one extra step to pour it in but then you’re done for a month or two.

[Sarah]

I did the transfer thing for a while but got tired of washing the container every time I refilled it. Now I just keep the kibble in its bag and stick the whole thing in a tall trash can with a lid, bag and all. The bag does most of the work and the can just keeps my cat from chewing through it.

[Lisa Hydrow]

I keep my cat’s food in the original bag but I don’t just clip it, I actually squeeze most of the air out first before rolling the top down and clipping it. That part seems to matter more than people think. My last big bag took about six weeks to finish and the kibble at the bottom still smelled fine and my cat ate it without any fuss. I did try a plastic bin once and honestly the food got a weird stale smell faster than I expected, so I went back to the bag. The one thing I’ll say is keep it somewhere cool and dark, because I left a bag near a sunny window once and that batch definitely went off quicker. Nothing fancy here, just squeeze, roll, clip, and try to use it up within a couple months.

[Kevin Rogers]

I used to mess with containers and all that, but now I just leave it in the bag and fold the top over a few times. For a big bag that takes a couple months to finish, I do usually dump the last bit into a smaller container so it doesn’t sit there forever. The original bag seems to hold up fine though.

[coffeeandscreens]

The bag inside a container never made sense to me.

[LiamW]

Keeping it in the original bag inside a container is overkill, but the bag alone gets stale fast once it’s opened. I just use a decent airtight bin and dump it straight in, no bag. Takes ten seconds and the food stays fine for the two months it lasts here.

[Rob K1]

Squeezing the air out never did anything for my cat’s food.

[Priya Shah]

I just write the date I opened the bag on a piece of tape and stick it on the side. That way I actually know how long it’s been sitting instead of guessing.

[Elena Voss]

Original bag, binder clip, done.

[Tina M]

The original bag inside a container always seemed like extra effort to me. I just pour the kibble straight into a plastic bin with a lid that snaps shut, and it’s been fine for years. My cat’s picky and she’d definitely turn her nose up if it went stale.

[Chris Miller]

Stale food isn’t really the issue people make it out to be. My cat’s kibble sits in the bag with a clip for a month and she still eats it fine. The bigger bag saving money is worth way more than any minor freshness thing.

[Alex Miller]

Airtight containers are kind of overrated for this. I’ve had kibble go stale faster in a cheap plastic bin than just leaving it in the bag with a chip clip. The bag itself actually holds up fine for a few weeks.

[Nina_gadget]

I ended up just leaving the kibble in the original bag and rolling the top down, then setting the whole thing inside a plastic bin I already had. Not fancy but it’s been like three weeks and the cat’s still eating it fine. The bin mostly just keeps her from chewing through the bag overnight. Good enough for me.

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