Question:
Has anyone ever had a cat with an allergy to plastic? Apparently Snuffleupagus has an allergy to plastic food bowls that cause blackhead-like things to pop up around his mouth. I guess this is a recent development....it didn't happen before, but started about a month or two ago. Does anyone know if the allergy will go away or if there's something I can give him? I only ask because all of our bowls are plastic and we can't really afford to buy new food and water bowls for 7 cats if they're all ceramic. For now we're just using human bowls, but we kinda need those. Any suggestions?


Answer:
Plastic bowls are not good for humans or other animals. I would recommend switching to ceramic for @ least the one cat in question. Check out the Sally Ann or Goodwill for used human bowls made of safe materials, I found a glass bowl a while ago for Cub for 25 cents @ Frenchy's!!!


Answer:
Yah, Value Village and other used stuff stores are great for finding bowls, you should be able to pick up a bunch of ceramic or stainless steel dishes there for next to nothing.


Answer:
Ok, I'll check out those places. We did ceramic bowls for the new guy, but we free feed so I'm just worried he'll eat from the plastic bowls.
Why aren't plastic good for animals/humans? I've heard that before but I can't remember where. Is it something to do with bacteria building up easier in them?


Answer:
Plastic contains many chemicals & is itself a petroleum product. It tends to leach into foods (esp. when heated) & the softer the plastic, the more hazardous the results. It is also porous & as such does harbour bacteria.
I recommend ANY other kind of bowl: glass, ceramic, metal (well, not aluminum). Get them secondhand, as we suggested, it's dirt cheap & the pets don't care if the bowls are chipped or mismatched.


Answer:
Nikki, did you find some new bowls?
It sounds like acne to me (yes, cats can get acne). People with bad skin can attest that dirty pillow cases, phones, etc. can cause a breakout. In the case of Snuff, he was probably breaking out from the bacteria in the plastic. And like Neuro said, it is quite porous so no matter how well you wash it, the bacteria will remain.


Answer:
you can also get ceramic bowls at the dollar store nikki


Answer:
Hey guys,
Right now we're just using our people bowls for the cats. I haven't had a chance to get to a dollar store cause I've been feeling sick. But yeah, I think it is acne, and it's getting a bit better with the ceramic bowls. Hopefully it will all clear up and everything will be fine


Answer:
Thanks for the dollar store suggestion Brandy. I just picked up three stainless steel bowls for $4.


Answer:
Wow, I need to head to Valu Village or Goodwill and do some shopping too! The girls need new food bowls too