LEAD CONCERN-CERAMIC CAT DISHES/BOWLS FROM TARGET

Just wondering...I recently bought a cat feeding set from Target
(ceramic water and food) dish. They sit in this nice convenient metal
rack, which makes changing very easy. I've heard about there being
lead in some ceramics and/or glazes. What's making me more concerned,
is that the product is made in China. Not to bash the Chinese and
their manufacturing processes, but it is a well-known fact that they
sometimes cut corners and their q.c. practices are questionable at
best. The cat isn't showing any signs of a problem...have been using
it for about 2 months. Am I just being paranoid here?

Any and all responses are welcome...thanks in advance for your
assistance.

On Oct 1, 12:16 pm, wrote:
Just wondering...I recently bought a cat feeding set from Target
(ceramic water and food) dish. They sit in this nice convenient metal
rack, which makes changing very easy. I've heard about there being
lead in some ceramics and/or glazes. What's making me more concerned,
is that the product is made in China. Not to bash the Chinese and
their manufacturing processes, but it is a well-known fact that they
sometimes cut corners and their q.c. practices are questionable at
best. The cat isn't showing any signs of a problem...have been using
it for about 2 months. Am I just being paranoid here?

Any and all responses are welcome...thanks in advance for your
assistance.

Personally, I never use dishes made for pets for precisely the reason
for your question. I just don't trust that there won't be lead in
them. If it were me, I would probably toss the set you got at Target
and use ones for humans.

wrote:
Just wondering...I recently bought a cat feeding set from Target
(ceramic water and food) dish. They sit in this nice convenient metal
rack, which makes changing very easy. I've heard about there being
lead in some ceramics and/or glazes. What's making me more concerned,
is that the product is made in China. Not to bash the Chinese and
their manufacturing processes, but it is a well-known fact that they
sometimes cut corners and their q.c. practices are questionable at
best. The cat isn't showing any signs of a problem...have been using
it for about 2 months. Am I just being paranoid here?

Any and all responses are welcome...thanks in advance for your
assistance.



There are lead testing kits available at stores such as Home Depot for
about $10. I don't know how accurate they are. I've not tried them
yet but some people in another forum/newsgroup have used them and
highly recommend them. Here's a link to them -
http://prolabinc.com/products.asp?kit=leadsurface

I agree, it's a problem. My pet shop has these cute Starbarks water bowls
that look like my own Starbucks mug but I turned it over and scraped at the
price tag and it's made in China. Didn't buy it but I turned over my own
Starbucks mug and it's also made in China! For that matter, so are all my
everyday dishware!

Barb

On Oct 2, 10:24 am, "Barb" wrote:
I agree, it's a problem. My pet shop has these cute Starbarks water bowls
that look like my own Starbucks mug but I turned it over and scraped at the
price tag and it's made in China. Didn't buy it but I turned over my own
Starbucks mug and it's also made in China! For that matter, so are all my
everyday dishware!

Barb

Uh oh, I need to check out my dishes too. I think almost everything
these days is made in China. They certainly need better regulations
when it comes to importing from there.

On Oct 1, 12:16 pm, wrote:
Just wondering...I recently bought a cat feeding set from Target
(ceramic water and food) dish. They sit in this nice convenient metal
rack, which makes changing very easy. I've heard about there being
lead in some ceramics and/or glazes. What's making me more concerned,
is that the product is made in China. Not to bash the Chinese and
their manufacturing processes, but it is a well-known fact that they
sometimes cut corners and their q.c. practices are questionable at
best. The cat isn't showing any signs of a problem...have been using
it for about 2 months. Am I just being paranoid here?

Any and all responses are welcome...thanks in advance for your
assistance.

Thank you all for your input...Joe :-)

On Oct 1, 12:36 pm, PawsForThought wrote:
On Oct 1, 12:16 pm, wrote:

Just wondering...I recently bought a cat feeding set from Target
(ceramic water and food) dish. They sit in this nice convenient metal
rack, which makes changing very easy. I've heard about there being
lead in some ceramics and/or glazes. What's making me more concerned,
is that the product is made in China. Not to bash the Chinese and
their manufacturing processes, but it is a well-known fact that they
sometimes cut corners and their q.c. practices are questionable at
best. The cat isn't showing any signs of a problem...have been using
it for about 2 months. Am I just being paranoid here?

Any and all responses are welcome...thanks in advance for your
assistance.

Personally, I never use dishes made for pets for precisely the reason
for your question. I just don't trust that there won't be lead in
them. If it were me, I would probably toss the set you got at Target
and use ones for humans.

I feel the same way. Something just tells me that quality control for
anything manufactured for pet use is
not going to be as stringent as for human dishes. Besides, it's easy
to find lovely glass or stoneware bowls
that are suitable in size and weight to use for cat bowls. Cats like
shallow, wide bowls best, and I usually
pick mine up at thrift stores. "Fruit bowls" work well. I avoid the
vintage pottery-type bowls out of lead concerns.

Sherry

Sherry

I did buy some beautiful pet bowls for my cats and maybe they just weren't
the right shape but the cats would not eat out of them. They yanked their
food out onto the floor and ate it there! The bowls went back and I got my
money back.

Barb

I use Melmac small flat plates (butter dishes) to feed the canned food.
The deep dishes could touch the whiskers which might lead to them
pulling the food out to eat on the floor. Even with the flat plates,
Tiger sometimes pulls some of the food out.


---MIKE---
In the White Mountains of New Hampshire
(44° 15' N - Elevation 1580')