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 18th, 2009 at 8:30 pm
My cats food stays in the bag it comes in. I really like the cute
containter. Thanks
April 18th, 2009 at 9:03 pm
I store my kitty food in a rubbermaid tub.
freebiegoddess03@aol.com
April 19th, 2009 at 1:16 am
I use a plastic container which is food grade. You bring up an excellent topic. Thanks for the giveaway!
April 19th, 2009 at 3:49 am
I currently just store my catfood in the bag it comes in.
April 19th, 2009 at 4:24 am
My cat’s food stays in the bag as well. Great prize, thanks!
April 19th, 2009 at 5:46 am
So glad to see that folks are watching out for our cat’s safety and health.
April 19th, 2009 at 6:24 am
My cat’s food just stays in the bag because that’s all I have. I would love one of those containers.
April 19th, 2009 at 8:05 am
I store their food in a small metal tin, but am now wondering if it’s sealed well enough. Thanks for the information!
April 19th, 2009 at 8:45 am
UGH!!! I’m using a cheap, plastic garbage can and have for a long time; now, I’m starting to worry about it. I don’t want to harm my precious kitties! Thank you for the opportunity to win something safer and more attractive, as well!
April 19th, 2009 at 8:57 am
This would be an awesome win! My cats would love you and me for it…
April 19th, 2009 at 10:06 am
I currently keep my food in a plastic container. I (and my cat) would love this!
April 19th, 2009 at 11:13 am
Bugaboo’s food stays in the bag I buy it in, sitting in the pantry. He also has plastic cat dish to eat out of, thank you for the information! I definitely need to buy new cat dishes. D:
April 19th, 2009 at 11:18 am
My breeder recommended using stainless or glass dishes for my Bengal cats Dot and Omega. I try to avoid plastic for myself and never microwave in plastic because of the hazards. We try to provide the best care for our cats so why expose them to something that contains a hazard? Stainless and glass dishes look better than plastic anyway.
April 19th, 2009 at 12:38 pm
I embarrassed to admit that our poor girls get theirs straight out of the bag. How unglamorous is that?
April 19th, 2009 at 2:09 pm
Wow!~ This was very interesting to read!! I keep my cats food in the bag, but my puppy has a plastic storage container! Geez! I am gonna be a little more selective after reading this !
April 19th, 2009 at 2:17 pm
How scary! I store my cat’s food in a plastic cereal container
April 19th, 2009 at 2:39 pm
I use a big plastic container that was free with Iams cat food a few years ago
April 19th, 2009 at 2:44 pm
My kitten will love new containers.
April 19th, 2009 at 4:15 pm
i use a big plastic food storage container
April 19th, 2009 at 6:36 pm
Hi~
I use a washed plastic cat litter box with lid to store my cat’s food.
I’ve been concerned about litter residue in it, but the ones in the store are too expensive for me.
April 19th, 2009 at 7:38 pm
My kittys food stays in the bag for now. Thanks for the chance.
April 19th, 2009 at 7:54 pm
Hmm…our dry kitty kibble is stashed in one of those plastic cereal dispensers. Maybe time to fix that.
April 19th, 2009 at 8:09 pm
Wow! There sure are a lot of cat lovers out there if I am post 421. We have two cats and use porcelin bowls but having one bowl between them would make things easier for them and us.
April 20th, 2009 at 1:03 am
O K, I’m guilty! I thought I was doing good that they each have their own dish. (4) Plastic see-through container. I don’t have to guess how much is in there. I’m switching.
April 20th, 2009 at 3:06 am
Having recently lost my cats after 18 years, I have no food to store
But I have also learned so much in those years ~I was young and ignorant in the beginning~ that Next Cat would benefit greatly from a fabulous Stor-In-Style metal kibble container! No more plastic for my cats >^..^< (and as little as possible for my environment) Thanks for the contest.
April 20th, 2009 at 3:47 am
OMC! I thought the plastic bowls were the only health/safety issue. I use a plastic pet food storage bin now for the kitties. I guess I won’t be for long.
Thanks for the information.
April 20th, 2009 at 5:57 am
I normally leave it in the bag it came in. This would be a safe place to keep it.
April 20th, 2009 at 6:04 am
wow, good information as always! thanks for making us be more aware of what we use not only for ourselves but for our beloved kitties!
April 20th, 2009 at 6:06 am
I really appreciated the article on plastic cat dishes. I currently use plastic so this was a real benefit to my feline friends. The food is usually stored in the original bags so the Stor-in-Style metal food container would be a welcome addition to our home. Thanks for all the useful information! Sincerely, Gail Cinninger & my 5 feline friends
April 20th, 2009 at 6:56 am
Oh man! I never thought plastic would have health effects! I store both cat and dog food in big plastic tubs….worry worry worry….Maybe I can win this!
April 20th, 2009 at 7:09 am
Eek. I just use the original bag.
April 20th, 2009 at 7:40 am
We store our cat food in a plastic container, and we would love to have a designer metal food storage container. Now we need to make sure we have something non-toxic!!
April 20th, 2009 at 7:51 am
wow, i guess i never really thought about storing in plastic…
April 20th, 2009 at 8:22 am
Unfortunately I currently don’t use any storage containers for my cat food; just the bag that the food comes in. It would be great to have something durable to keep it fresh in though. I hope my kitties and I win this.
Thank you!
April 20th, 2009 at 8:54 am
I use one of those giant popcorn tins (the kind that has three kinds of popcorn in it that you see in stores around Christmas) to store our cat food in. I found one that didn’t clash too bad with my kitchen and wasn’t a Christmas one.
April 20th, 2009 at 9:12 am
What great products to keep kitties goodies fresh!!
April 20th, 2009 at 9:21 am
I have to admit it, I’m using plastic containers. My boy could really use this prize. Thank you!
April 20th, 2009 at 9:34 am
Your poor kitty! Good that he’s all better thanks to your care
Well, the cat food stays in the bag, but right now I keep the bag in a plastic storage bin:[ but the little guy eats out of a glass dish :] thanks for the giveaway!
April 20th, 2009 at 9:47 am
this would be great because I always leave the food in the bag but this would really come in handy.
April 20th, 2009 at 9:48 am
Right now it just stays in its big sloppy sack!
April 20th, 2009 at 11:09 am
Right now, in a plastic Rubber Maid storage container. Looks like I also need to do some bowl replacing.
April 20th, 2009 at 11:45 am
I currently store my dry food in a big plastic bin that came with one of the food purchases. I buy smaller bags and just refill it when it runs out. I could probably benefit from something cleaner, aka metal!
April 20th, 2009 at 12:03 pm
I keep mine in a large plastic garbage can.
April 20th, 2009 at 1:09 pm
One food is in an huge antique crock with a safe glaze, the other in a huge plastic tub supplied by a previous pet food vendor that delivered. Nifty can idea there!
April 20th, 2009 at 1:34 pm
My cat’s food is sitting in its original packaging- could sure use this metal storage container!
April 20th, 2009 at 1:35 pm
IT WOULD BE NICE TO HAVE A CONTAINER JUST FOR SOPHIE MY CAT.
April 20th, 2009 at 2:08 pm
I use a large Tupperware container right now to store the cat food.
April 20th, 2009 at 2:28 pm
I currently use a huge canning jar to store my cat food in.
April 20th, 2009 at 3:02 pm
We have a plastic tub we keep the food in right now. This would be nice!! Thanks for the chance.
mogrill@comcast.net
April 20th, 2009 at 3:52 pm
I use the same bag that the food comes in – nice huh??
Thanks