Be Careful With Certain Cat Toys

catloverlady

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So today I purchased the Jackson Galaxy Air Prey Cat Toy and then when I was on Walmart's site looking so I could find the name of the toy again seeing I got rid of the cardboard piece it was on, I saw there's a warning down below in the description on Walmart's site, it has the proposition 65 warning for titanium dioxide, other chemicals. Luckily I only played a short time with this toy with her. I don't think I'll be keeping it. I know some might think this is silly to get rid of it but my last cat that I had I lost to cancer and I don't wanna take any risks. I personally think it's so sad that they make cat toys using these chemicals. I think I'll stick to the feather wand toy that I also have for her which I looked up a bit ago and that one is fine (that one is not a Jackson Galaxy toy). I do have to say that I'm pretty surprised Jackson would allow such chemicals to be used on his toys but that's probably because the feathers on that toy of his are made of plastic and lots of plastics contain harmful chemicals.
 

Q2U

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Andy LOVES to play with his Snakey toy...and I used to leave Snakey laying on the floor so that Andy could play with it whenever he wanted. But one day I saw him jump over our doggie gate (it's QUITE an impressive jump...see the embedded video below) with the wand in this mouth and the snake trailing behind him and I realized that -- under the right circumstances -- Andy might hang himself and die. So now Snakey only comes out to play when I am there to supervise. You can't be too careful IMO.

toy.jpg

 

Q2U

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tinydestroyer

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As a California resident, I can tell you that Prop 65 labeling means almost nothing. The website, which probably sells those products in CA, has to carry the warning because our state requires it by law for certain chemicals. To refuse to do so would certainly incur a lawsuit from one of the many unscrupulous lawyers who scour shops and retailers looking for prop 65 violations to line their pockets.

What exactly is Prop 65? Also known as the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986, it requires businesses to warn employees and manufacturers to warn consumers if the might be exposed to any one of a list of nearly 850 chemicals that are suspected to be carcinogenic - whether or not that level of exposure would be at risk for cancer. One of the more famous, and silly, examples is exposure to coffee, which contains acylimide - a chemical which has never been proven to cause cancer in humans (in fact, there are studies claiming coffee has the reverse effect,) based on one study in rats where they ingested daily 160times the possible dose for humans.


Here is a fun and ridiculous list of things which carry Prop 65 warnings (like all wood furniture,) as well as an explanation of the law:

California needs to stop saying everything causes cancer


We see these warnings everywhere - coffee shops, parking lots, almost any home goods retailer, etc. If a website sells in CA, they must also display the warning. We all just ignore them. In the end, the warnings which might actually apply (i.e. A substance which exposes the consumer to a chemical at an appropriate level to cause cancer risk,) are also ignored, which is unfortunate. It doesn't help consumers be more mindful and educated at all, which was the original intent. As the article above says, CA loves to slap a warning label on everything - even when rigorous scientific study proves it to be unnecessary.


Now, I am not saying that all cat toys are safe (for a variety of reasons, carcinogens included.) Nor am I saying that all Prop 65 warnings should be ignored automatically. Only that it would be more useful to research the specific chemical causing the warning, and what negative effects it might have. In the case of titanium dioxide in the Jackson Galaxy cat toy, I personally wouldn't worry. This is one of the top 50 chemicals produced worldwide, purified from a naturally-occurring mineral, and considered safe for application and ingestion by the FDA. Titanium dioxide is in everything from lotion to cosmetics, to food, to textiles, to rubber, and much more. It is used widely in sunscreens and items which might be exposed to light. Only when nanoparticles (smaller than 100 nanometers,) of this chemical are inhaled (as in micronized TiO2,) are they potentially carcinogenic. (At that point, however, some argue that almost everyone is at equal risk of inhalation considering the ubiquity of the chemical.) Still, the generally accepted levels to convey risk are really only found in manufacturing situations where nanoparticles might be present. According to the IARC (international agency for research on cancer,) Titanium dioxide is listed as 2B - which designates it as "less than sufficient evidence of carcinogenicity in humans, and less than sufficient evidence of carcinogenicity in experimental animals." As in the case with the coffee, we are, in fact, encouraged to use titanium dioxide against ultraviolet rays of the sun in order to prevent cancer.


Of course, the choice is yours, and you should conduct your own research about the products you purchase for yourself and your cats. I only wanted to point out that a Prop 65 warning doesn't have to be the condemnation it seems to be, because I have seen firsthand how ineffective and useless the warning can be.


Q2U Q2U - I need to get a Snakey toy for my cats! That one looks really fun!
 

basschick

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catloverlady

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As a California resident, I can tell you that Prop 65 labeling means almost nothing. The website, which probably sells those products in CA, has to carry the warning because our state requires it by law for certain chemicals. To refuse to do so would certainly incur a lawsuit from one of the many unscrupulous lawyers who scour shops and retailers looking for prop 65 violations to line their pockets.

What exactly is Prop 65? Also known as the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986, it requires businesses to warn employees and manufacturers to warn consumers if the might be exposed to any one of a list of nearly 850 chemicals that are suspected to be carcinogenic - whether or not that level of exposure would be at risk for cancer. One of the more famous, and silly, examples is exposure to coffee, which contains acylimide - a chemical which has never been proven to cause cancer in humans (in fact, there are studies claiming coffee has the reverse effect,) based on one study in rats where they ingested daily 160times the possible dose for humans.


Here is a fun and ridiculous list of things which carry Prop 65 warnings (like all wood furniture,) as well as an explanation of the law:

California needs to stop saying everything causes cancer


We see these warnings everywhere - coffee shops, parking lots, almost any home goods retailer, etc. If a website sells in CA, they must also display the warning. We all just ignore them. In the end, the warnings which might actually apply (i.e. A substance which exposes the consumer to a chemical at an appropriate level to cause cancer risk,) are also ignored, which is unfortunate. It doesn't help consumers be more mindful and educated at all, which was the original intent. As the article above says, CA loves to slap a warning label on everything - even when rigorous scientific study proves it to be unnecessary.


Now, I am not saying that all cat toys are safe (for a variety of reasons, carcinogens included.) Nor am I saying that all Prop 65 warnings should be ignored automatically. Only that it would be more useful to research the specific chemical causing the warning, and what negative effects it might have. In the case of titanium dioxide in the Jackson Galaxy cat toy, I personally wouldn't worry. This is one of the top 50 chemicals produced worldwide, purified from a naturally-occurring mineral, and considered safe for application and ingestion by the FDA. Titanium dioxide is in everything from lotion to cosmetics, to food, to textiles, to rubber, and much more. It is used widely in sunscreens and items which might be exposed to light. Only when nanoparticles (smaller than 100 nanometers,) of this chemical are inhaled (as in micronized TiO2,) are they potentially carcinogenic. (At that point, however, some argue that almost everyone is at equal risk of inhalation considering the ubiquity of the chemical.) Still, the generally accepted levels to convey risk are really only found in manufacturing situations where nanoparticles might be present. According to the IARC (international agency for research on cancer,) Titanium dioxide is listed as 2B - which designates it as "less than sufficient evidence of carcinogenicity in humans, and less than sufficient evidence of carcinogenicity in experimental animals." As in the case with the coffee, we are, in fact, encouraged to use titanium dioxide against ultraviolet rays of the sun in order to prevent cancer.


Of course, the choice is yours, and you should conduct your own research about the products you purchase for yourself and your cats. I only wanted to point out that a Prop 65 warning doesn't have to be the condemnation it seems to be, because I have seen firsthand how ineffective and useless the warning can be.


Q2U Q2U - I need to get a Snakey toy for my cats! That one looks really fun!
Thank you so much for all of your information, it was very helpful!
 

Azazel

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If only cats preferred to play with 'safe' toys. Mine all prefer the 'dangerous' ones. But, I don't leave any toys with long dangly things or parts that could be swallowed or chewed off laying around. They are only brought out to play with when I'm around to supervise and then they go back into the toy basket right after.
 

lilmopeep

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Andy LOVES to play with his Snakey toy...and I used to leave Snakey laying on the floor so that Andy could play with it whenever he wanted. But one day I saw him jump over our doggie gate (it's QUITE an impressive jump...see the embedded video below) with the wand in this mouth and the snake trailing behind him and I realized that -- under the right circumstances -- Andy might hang himself and die. So now Snakey only comes out to play when I am there to supervise. You can't be too careful IMO.

View attachment 252664
I just LOVE his little lion tufted tail!
 

basschick

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Andy LOVES to play with his Snakey toy...and I used to leave Snakey laying on the floor so that Andy could play with it whenever he wanted. But one day I saw him jump over our doggie gate (it's QUITE an impressive jump...see the embedded video below) with the wand in this mouth and the snake trailing behind him and I realized that -- under the right circumstances -- Andy might hang himself and die. So now Snakey only comes out to play when I am there to supervise. You can't be too careful IMO.

View attachment 252664
we got our mr snakey and HK loves it! he's an older gent, but we pulled it very slowly back and forth and he got all excited - jumped on it (well, very slowly jumped on it), grabbed it and watched it go back and forth. thanks for the recommendation!
 
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