Have you given any thought to the type of material used in your cat’s food bowl and food storage container? Well, I recently learned a little about this topic when faced with Mackenzie’s breakout of kitty acne (see photo below – it’s not pretty.) This is really a two-part issue:
1) Plastic pet food dishes and containers can trap bacteria that causes kitty acne. What is kitty acne? It looks like little black flakes usually found on the chin and around the mouth. Not all cats are prone to acne, but when they do get a bad case, like Mackenzie did, it can lead to open sores and infection. I treated Mackenzie with antibiotics and “kitty facials” with a cleanser followed by Neutrogena On-the-Spot acne treatment, as prescribed by my vet. He’s all better now, but I also switched all the food and water dishes to porcelain*. Stainless steel, ceramic*, glass, and stoneware* are all excellent options, too, because they are not porous like plastic, which can trap oily food particles and harbor bacteria. It’s also very important to thoroughly clean and dry all food and water dishes daily and food storage containers weekly.
* With any glazed material, make sure that the glaze is food grade, it should not be marked “for decoration only.”
And as if that wasn’t bad enough…
2) Some plastics can contain chemicals that may leach into your cat’s food and water, possibly causing other health issues. This is a controversial issue which has been in the media quite a bit over the past year, specifically regarding Bisphenol-A (BpA) in water bottles and children’s products, as well as phthalates in other plastic products. Apparently not all plastics are bad, but since we really don’t know much about the long-term effects of eating and drinking out of plastic, I’m choosing to avoid it whenever possible, for both me and my cats (which is proving to be MUCH easier to do for the cats than it is for me!) Research done by Environmental Working Group has shown that pets have much higher levels of chemical contamination than humans, some up to 23 times the levels. The study points out that “with their compressed lifespans, developing and aging seven or more times faster than children, pets also develop health problems from exposures much more rapidly.” This is a complicated study that looks into chemical contaminants from multiple sources, but if eliminating plastic food containers might help just a little, it’s an easy change to make.
There are lots of beautiful and functional non-plastic pet food bowls available. If you haven’t already, please consider making this change.
BONUS GIVEAWAY!
And to help you make a change with your cat food storage, the folks at Stor-in-Style are offering one lucky winner a designer metal food storage container. The metal canister has a durable, non-toxic powder-coated finish and comes with six graphic decals and a metal scoop. To enter, please leave a comment on this post telling us what you currently use to store your cat food. The winner will be chosen in a random drawing on April 24.
April 20th, 2009 at 4:16 pm
I had already switched all my plastic bowls over to ceramic because of the same problem. I didn’t even think about storage containers being plastic. Perhaps the folks that designed this can offer it for sale.
April 20th, 2009 at 4:54 pm
I use a plastic storage container, which keeps the cats out!
April 20th, 2009 at 4:59 pm
we use ziplocs…
April 20th, 2009 at 7:07 pm
unfortunately, my kitties food stays in the bag it came in tucked away in a high cupboard they can’t get to. a cute metal container would work really well for me. and i could leave it in a more accessible place.
April 20th, 2009 at 7:22 pm
We are using plastic containers that Wellness Cat Food offered with their large bags. My cat Nellie has had cat acne and although I changed her food bowls to stainless, I never even thought to change her container! Thanks for the info.
April 20th, 2009 at 7:41 pm
We have a plastic tote we keep the food in and then we put their food in a plastic bowl (boy do I feel like a bad mommy). Thank you.
April 20th, 2009 at 9:36 pm
This would be much than the plastic container that I use!
April 21st, 2009 at 2:02 am
Do you think it is possible to find this container in Europe or Italy??
It is exactly what I0m looking for!!
April 21st, 2009 at 2:16 am
I buy large bags of dry cat food and put it in smaller containers just because it’s easier than digging into the large bag. I’ve been using coffee containers (the large Maxwell House plastic ones). I use stainless steel food/water dishes, as I know plastic can be problematic, and I’ve been looking for other solutions – I’d love to win this!
April 21st, 2009 at 3:46 am
We store cat food in the bag it came in. We would love to have such a container.
April 21st, 2009 at 5:39 am
Another good reason not to use so much plastic. Great storage container.
April 21st, 2009 at 10:08 am
just to cool
April 21st, 2009 at 10:47 am
I currently store my cat food in the bag it came in, doh!! I have 3 cats and could really use something chic like this
April 21st, 2009 at 11:00 am
This would be great to have. I store my cat’s food in the original bag it comes in.
April 21st, 2009 at 1:25 pm
Never knew this about plactic and cat food. Luckily just upgraded to glass bowls but still store the food in plastic (our sweet kitty chews through the food bag otherwise). I would love to win this!
April 21st, 2009 at 2:33 pm
I currently store Franklin’s food in a plastic cereal container. However now I have guilt and I would like to know where to buy one.
April 21st, 2009 at 2:58 pm
love it! we’re redoing our kitchen now and that would be perfect!
April 21st, 2009 at 3:18 pm
I use large jars for their food. Try to make it look “pretty.” But I really could use a little “garbage can” like this as I have two cats. Boy this would look great in my kitchen as my kitchen is white.
April 21st, 2009 at 4:47 pm
Naturally I keep all of my cat and dog kibble in those gray plastic tubs . . . four of them. Wonder if I should switch them out.
April 21st, 2009 at 5:19 pm
the bag it comes in
April 21st, 2009 at 6:36 pm
I would love to win this for my 2 cats. Sad to say but I store it in the bag that it comes in. This would be a major improvement!
Thanks for the great giveaway.
April 21st, 2009 at 7:37 pm
Wow, I’ve been looking for something like that to store my cats’ food. Currently, I just store their food in the bag with the top clipped shut. I always worry about it going stale or pests getting in it, so this would be great. Thanks for the chance to win!
April 22nd, 2009 at 2:58 am
I leave my cats food in the bag it came in because I don’t know what to put it in.
janetfaye (at) gmail (dot) com
April 22nd, 2009 at 3:41 am
Our cat food is stored in the bag it comes in but they eat out of porcelain bowls.
April 22nd, 2009 at 6:34 am
Cattywampus’ food is stored in a big lollipop tin- this would be a definite improvement!
April 22nd, 2009 at 6:59 am
I have tupperware type containers for my cats food. I have 7 cats and the containers really need an upgrade the lid broke on one. But it is hard to find a suitable container for so much food. 18lb bag twice a month.
I know my cats used to get the “cat acne” from there dishes so i use metal now and that really does help. The plastic is not good for them.
Great site by the way.
April 22nd, 2009 at 7:10 am
I’ve got one cat who can break into pretty much any food storage container, so I store their food in one of those “vittles vaults”, which is, unfortunately, plastic. They eat out of glass dishes at least. This looks like a great prize (and hard for a clever kitty to break into!).
April 22nd, 2009 at 7:13 am
my cats i just leave their food in their bag and the dogs i put in a plastic container
April 22nd, 2009 at 7:40 am
I would love to win this for my cousin who has 2 beautiful cats. She has a heart of gold and would do anything for you and this would be a nice gift to her. Please enter my name.. Thanks
April 22nd, 2009 at 7:41 am
I have these gallon size glass jars that I usually use. But sometimes (I hate to admit) I just use zip-lock type resealable plastic baggies.
April 22nd, 2009 at 7:54 am
Our kitty food stays in the bag it came in. This would be great to have.
April 22nd, 2009 at 8:10 am
After learning that our cat suffers from Cat Acne we started feeding him out of stainless steel bowls. His food stays in the bag now, because the pet food containers around here are made from plastics.
April 22nd, 2009 at 9:40 am
Tango’s food stays in the bag that it came in.
April 22nd, 2009 at 9:44 am
I store the food in the bag it comes in, and if I leave it on the floor and not put up, the cat chews holes in the bag, even if his dish is filled!
April 22nd, 2009 at 10:08 am
My kitties would love to have their food stored in this container! Cute!
April 22nd, 2009 at 10:47 am
I would love this for my mom she stores her cat food in these big ugly plastic totes.
April 22nd, 2009 at 11:14 am
I store our cats’ food in a plastic bin.Thanks!
April 22nd, 2009 at 11:41 am
Our little Siren is such a stylish kitty, she needs a cool place to keep her gourmet grub
April 22nd, 2009 at 12:59 pm
I leave it in the bag it comes in right now.
April 22nd, 2009 at 1:29 pm
How cute! I keep my kitties food in those big plastic containers for dog food, but metal would be better.
April 22nd, 2009 at 1:33 pm
An old (and yes, cleaned out) paint bucket. And get this… the cat’s name is Picasso!
April 22nd, 2009 at 1:39 pm
Sadly enough I just leave it in the bag with the top folded down. I’m sure Mr. Romeo Cat would love his food in this container!!
April 22nd, 2009 at 2:08 pm
I’ve been storing my cat’s food in a plastic pour container with a lid. Ugh! I’ve learned something today! This would be a great replacement!!
April 22nd, 2009 at 4:56 pm
My kitties currently have their food kept in a big plastic container with a snap lid. I would keep it in a bag…but I use a mix of 3 dry foods so a container is needed! Sadly, I should probably give it a complete cleaning more often than I do.
April 22nd, 2009 at 5:18 pm
I use a 5 gallon plastic bucket Never knew that it could hurt my kitties
April 22nd, 2009 at 5:56 pm
In the bag it came in… stored inside a big plastic container.
April 22nd, 2009 at 6:15 pm
Currently I just keep it in the bag it came in.
April 22nd, 2009 at 7:18 pm
I currently use a five gallon bucket with a lid
April 22nd, 2009 at 7:33 pm
We have eight cats and we mix different kinds of dry food together for them in a big plastic storage tub. I hadn’t thought about the plastic leeching chemicals into their food, although we use ceramic and metal dishes to serve them. Presto has a plastic allergy, but it only flares up when he finds something plastic to chew on! I’d love to have one of these Stor-in-Style containers.
April 22nd, 2009 at 8:37 pm
Most of it stays in the original bag inside a big rubbermaid bin. Then I transfer a few pounds at a time into an old cat food jug.