Black residue on new stainless steel cat bowls / constipation issues

[Alldara]

I looked at the bottom of those new bowls that haven't been used yet and couldn't find the grade. One would think it s/b required.

Unfortunately most places don't have a lot of regulations on pet items.

 

[Kwik]

Unfortunately most places don't have a lot of regulations on pet items.

Very true and yes,unfortunate

But I like your suggestion for pyrex- I love that stuff,my Pyrex bowls and pans I've had for decades and glass it very easy to clean - imo I think it's safer than stainless and Pyrex can even be sterilized with boiling water- what's better than that?

 

[Alldara]

Very true and yes,unfortunate

But I like your suggestion for pyrex- I love that stuff,my Pyrex bowls and pans I've had for decades and glass it very easy to clean - imo I think it's safer than stainless and Pyrex can even be sterilized with boiling water- what's better than that?

In the summer we use a long pyrex dish and give water and ice cubes for playing. Add some ping-pong balls on top! Good fun.

 

[Caspers Human]

I looked at the bottom of those new bowls that haven't been used yet and couldn't find the grade. One would think it s/b required.

No, it's not required to mark stainless steel with the grade number, even for industrial or military use. Records do need to be kept in regard to the type, source and lot numbers being used but it's not required to actually mark the item with the grade.

If there is ever a problem with a product, somebody must be able to trace things back to the source in order to determine where the problem lies but, no, there is no requirement to actually label that source on the individual pieces of product.

In the case of items used for military purposes, you can't mark the product. Most military contracts specify that there can be no "extraneous markings." Still, consumer goods probably aren't marked due to cost considerations.

My practice everyday is soak the plates my boy eats from with hot water and hot water will kill off the bacteria in the hairline cracks and also clear any residue that is on the plates

A trip through the dishwasher set to heat dry should do the trick. Dishwasher detergent is very caustic. (Alkaline.) That, alone should kill any bacteria but, with the heat dry setting, it should be doubly safe.

If you want to be extra sure, you could put items in the bottom rack where they will be closest to the heating element. Stainless steel, Pyrex and Corelle are all heat resistant enough to stand up to the heating element.

Pyrex can even be sterilized with boiling water- what's better than that?

You could probably sterilize Pyrex with a blowtorch without damaging it!

 

[Kwik]

In the summer we use a long pyrex dish and give water and ice cubes for playing. Add some ping-pong balls on top! Good fun.

Ping pong balls!Brilliant!I'm gonna get some- love it!

 

[Caspers Human]

I'm thinking about getting some ping pong balls, too!

 

[dianajune]

Ok. Here's an update....sort of.

I had four large Corelle bowls delivered yesterday and immediately put them to use. Unfortunately, my little Pumpkin was not at all impressed. I saw him sniff at some of them and walk away. So, I washed (again) several of the new stainless steel bowls and scattered them through our apartment, I saw him use one of the new stainless steel bowls this morning and then went past and checked out one of the Corelle bowls. Again he was not impressed.

i'm getting worried about him because Pumpkin's getting constipated again. If he doesn't start to drink more water, I will have to run him back to the vet.

I'm at a loss as to what to do. He doesn't like the new Corelle bowls. He prefers the stainless steel bowls but is still not drinking enough. Btw, re. those new stainless steel bowls, I managed to finally get rid of the black stuff. Maybe it's part of the finish?

Re the constipation - should I start another thread on this? - I tried giving him canned Pumpkin. He refused it. I cooked plain sweet potatoes. Nope he didn't like that either. I replenished the water in all of his drinking bowls. He's had both doses of tummy meds today (laxatone, miralax and antacid). I'm still waiting for poop. He cranked out a small piece yesterday. Nothing so far today.

I ran to Wally World to get him something that might help and found catnip with Silvervine. He loved it but I can't give him the whole entire bag,

Could the change in water bowls be contributing to this problem?

I'm going to post a message to a local FB group for this town and see if they know of a local vet that does house calls.

I will look for that water quality report this evening. If I can't find it, I will message the Mayor.

I've had a lot going on this past week including a trip to the ER because I hit my head on the bottom of a table whilst cleaning up a mess I made in the living room, I'm exhausted, sleep deprived and desperately need my baby to be ok.

Help!

 

[Caspers Human]

He doesn't like the new Corelle bowls.

Neophobia: Fear of new things.

Just leave one or more of the new bowls out where the cat can see it when he goes by. After a while, the new bowl won't be new anymore. You could even just leave some water in it, as well.

Our two, Casper and Elliot, both drink out of a watering can that we leave on the bottom shelf of the plant stand in the living room. Casper started doing it, before we adopted Elliot. When he came along, he just started copying Casper. We don't put any Miracle Grow or anything in the water, anymore. We just water the plants like normal then refill the can.

Point being... Despite Our best efforts, we never know where our cats will actually end up drinking from.

 

[dianajune]

I am getting really concerned about his constipation. I am in a wheelchair and have no car. The weather will be lousy for the next couple of days. I don't know what to do.

 

[Caspers Human]

Use Miralax if you haven't been, already.

Miralax is known as an "osmotic agent." That means it causes water to be absorbed into the colon, making the stool softer and easier to pass. This might also have the side effect of making him more thirsty...a desirable side effect, in your case.

You can start by giving him an eighth of a teaspoon in his food. It's virtually odorless and tasteless and he probably won't even know it's there. If that doesn't work within eight to twelve hours, you can give him another dose. A quarter teaspoon within twenty four hours ought to give him a case of the runs. (Do be mindful of that! I don't think I have to explain any more than that. Do I? )

A cat can skip a day at the litter box without worry. If he skips two days, keep an eye on him and give him some Miralax as I described above.

If, by the time the third day rolls around, he hasn't made a deposit, you should call the vet.

 

[dianajune]

Use Miralax if you haven't been, already.

Miralax is known as an "osmotic agent." That means it causes water to be absorbed into the colon, making the stool softer and easier to pass. This might also have the side effect of making him more thirsty...a desirable side effect, in your case.

You can start by giving him an eighth of a teaspoon in his food. It's virtually odorless and tasteless and he probably won't even know it's there. If that doesn't work within eight to twelve hours, you can give him another dose. A quarter teaspoon within twenty four hours ought to give him a case of the runs. (Do be mindful of that! I don't think I have to explain any more than that. Do I? )

A cat can skip a day at the litter box without worry. If he skips two days, keep an eye on him and give him some Miralax as I described above.

If, by the time the third day rolls around, he hasn't made a deposit, you should call the vet.

Pumpkin's been on Miralax for years. He used to be on Lactulose, but he hated it and I ended up smearing the stuff on his paws to get him to lick it off and half the time he refused to do that.

The vet prescribed 1/4 tsp of Miralax twice a day, along with a crushed 1/4 pill of Pepcid A/C (original strength) and mixed both in his laxatone. Problem is, lately he's been refusing his medicine and like with the Lactulose, he will oftentimes refuse it and I have to wipe it on his paws.

I mix all of this on is Corelle plate and let him lick it off my fingers. I can't get him to take it directly from the plate or lick it off a spoon. One would think that since he seems to like his Corelle plate for other things, he would love his new water bowls. Nope.

He had one tiny poop, kind of firm, in his box yesterday morning. The last one he had before that was about a day before.

I think he's uncomfortable but is not acting like he's in an emergency. Yet.

The Silvervine picks him up temporarily. I read somewhere that it can help cats with anxiety or digestive issues. But I can't give him too much at once. I got two packets today during an emergency run to the store to find something to resolve this problem,
I am stumped. I am in a wheelchair w/no car and we're about to have a storm. I messaged a local FB group for this town to ask for ideas on getting a vet house call and so far I've had no response.

 

[dianajune]

I forgot to add that he has two litter boxes. One with clay litter and the other with Feline Pine The last time he had issues with this he used the box with the pine litter but normally uses the other one.

 

[Caspers Human]

As long as he's going at least a little. Better some than none at all.

How's his intake compared to his output? Does he seem to be depositing as much as he eats?
If he hasn't been eating as much, in the past few days, as he's probably going to be leaving fewer or smaller deposits in the litter box.

 

[dianajune]

As long as he's going at least a little. Better some than none at all.

How's his intake compared to his output? Does he seem to be depositing as much as he eats?
If he hasn't been eating as much, in the past few days, as he's probably going to be leaving fewer or smaller deposits in the litter box.

His intake seems to be reduced. However, he's still peeing at least two times a day.

He seems to be responding to the catnip with Silverine. But I am afraid of giving him too much. His vet told me once in awhile it would be ok to give him light cream (something I found he liked accidentally when I spilled some on the counter) as long as I didn't give him too much. He had it once or twice today but is now refusing it.

I'm hoping he will take to at least a couple of water bowls. He's got them all over the place. I will train our security camera on his main box before I go to bed in case I can see anything out of the ordinary.

 

[Kwik]

Was he always this way with water bowls,when did this become problematic or has it been an ongoing issue? There's a few things going on here and I'm getting confused tbh

Many cats do not like the feeling of their whiskers touching the sides of water bowls- I know many people that feed colonies comment about not seeing the ferals drink and avoid water bowls- I always advise " plates- something very shallow and wide so their whiskers do not rub against anything- funny that it's mainly problematic with drinking and not eating but it's because most of their water sources are wide and shallow and it's familiar to them( puddles,streams,water on the ground from leaky pickets etc)

"Whisker stress" or " whisker fatigue" can make it seem a cat does not " like" particular bowls besides the fact Caspers Human explaining the avoidance of " new" things all about

So I don't know if this has been an ongoing issue and thsts why I am mentioning whiskers fatigue..... also,it's pretty difficult to estimate how much water your baby is actually drinking with so many bowls of water- one lick here,one lick there and might be an appropriate amount after all

My own cats use water dispensers where there is a tank that drips into a wide shallow reservoir-I bought these specifically for Timmy,7yr old feral before capture because he often showed up panting heavily when here in Florida we had hardly any rain in drought and he only drank from puddles- I splashed the water with my finger so he'd see it was safe to approach and then bought another when he transitioned to indoors.....anyway,try dispensers,fountains or anything he might be more comfortable with becsuse hydration is so very important

 

[Kwik]

May I ask what the catnip is all about? I'm not following well- what are you trying to address with catnip & silvervine ? I'm wondering if I'm skipping a page or something,it may very well just be me,duh- lol

I'm so sorry your have such a difficult time,I can totally relate to being immobile and crazy weather making it doubly hard( I'm disabled myself) -the stress of "what if" when our babies are unwell is nerve wracking- take a deep breath and try to take one thing at a time,finding a mobile Vet is an excellent idea to have for emergency- I hope you find one easily

 

[artiemom]

I use a stainless bowl for G's water. I think the stainless keeps the water cooler. I have never, in 5 years found any black residue on the bowl I wash it out daily and fill with water from my Brita.

As far as the miralax: The directions for Miralax state that you need to Mix it with Water, before giving. You Cannot just add dry miralax to food, and expect it to work. The Vet should have informed you about that. Miralax does not work without water--- even for humans. It states this in the directions. The best I have found is to add it to wet food. If that does not work I pull it up in a 10 cc/ml crying and give when I am pilling. Or, if you do not give any pills, just syringe it into your baby's mouth--- slowly.

As for laxatone: Years ago, I had a problem with giving it to my Megacolon cat. I asked an older Vet Tech how to do it. She said put it on my finger, open his mouth and just smear it on the roof of his mouth--- as in giving a pill. This method has worked great for Artie. Now I am using the same method for Geoffrey who has SCL.

Regarding the lactulose: With Artie, I never had any success giving it, stress free... It was always a hassle. A mess on his fur.. and me.
Even using a syringe was a disaster. I have heard that some cats will take it in their food--- that is always a tricky thing to do; because you do not want to cause food avoidance ..

I wish you luck.. sounds like you have a Megacolon or a slow transit system kitty... I know what that is like.. ((hugs))

I really do think that starting a new thread, would be a better option..

 

[Alldara]

Ok. Here's an update....sort of.

I had four large Corelle bowls delivered yesterday and immediately put them to use. Unfortunately, my little Pumpkin was not at all impressed. I saw him sniff at some of them and walk away. So, I washed (again) several of the new stainless steel bowls and scattered them through our apartment, I saw him use one of the new stainless steel bowls this morning and then went past and checked out one of the Corelle bowls. Again he was not impressed.

i'm getting worried about him because Pumpkin's getting constipated again. If he doesn't start to drink more water, I will have to run him back to the vet.

I'm at a loss as to what to do. He doesn't like the new Corelle bowls. He prefers the stainless steel bowls but is still not drinking enough. Btw, re. those new stainless steel bowls, I managed to finally get rid of the black stuff. Maybe it's part of the finish?

Re the constipation - should I start another thread on this? - I tried giving him canned Pumpkin. He refused it. I cooked plain sweet potatoes. Nope he didn't like that either. I replenished the water in all of his drinking bowls. He's had both doses of tummy meds today (laxatone, miralax and antacid). I'm still waiting for poop. He cranked out a small piece yesterday. Nothing so far today.

I ran to Wally World to get him something that might help and found catnip with Silvervine. He loved it but I can't give him the whole entire bag,

Could the change in water bowls be contributing to this problem?

I'm going to post a message to a local FB group for this town and see if they know of a local vet that does house calls.

I will look for that water quality report this evening. If I can't find it, I will message the Mayor.

I've had a lot going on this past week including a trip to the ER because I hit my head on the bottom of a table whilst cleaning up a mess I made in the living room, I'm exhausted, sleep deprived and desperately need my baby to be ok.

Help!

Oh I'm so sorry about your accident.

Are you dissolving the Miralax powder fully in water before giving it to him?

Do the correlle bowls have a pattern? Or are they plain?

Where did you order the metal bowls from? If something like Amazon, it's going to not be well regulated. So it'll be harder to find good ones.

Usually I get the dog ones in a pet store. They tend to be higher grade. And I know they ought to be pet safe.

What about just a human drinking mug or glass. Would he try that?

 

[Caspers Human]

We have always just sprinkled Miralax on Casper's dry food then stirred it up. The powder coats the food pellets so that Casper doesn't even know he's getting medicine in his food. We have never mixed it with water and it does exactly what we need it to do for Casper.

Casper does drink more water because of it and, AFAIAC, that's a good thing. If taking dry Miralax makes him thirsty, stimulating him to drink more water, that's exactly what we want it to do.

Yes, if we give Casper too much, it does give him the runs. Sometimes, we actually want that to happen. If his digestion starts to slow down, we need to give him extra in order to get things moving again.

We have discussed this with our vet and she's on board with it. We've been doing this for years, now, and it works exactly the way we want it to.

 

[Alldara]

We have always just sprinkled Miralax on Casper's dry food then stirred it up. The powder coats the food pellets so that Casper doesn't even know he's getting medicine in his food. We have never mixed it with water and it does exactly what we need it to do for Casper.

It's not that it can't, it's that it is more likely to have the side effect of increasing constipation if you don't. Especially if the cat isn't drinking as much water. That's because to work, the crystals need to soak up water and then travel to the rectum to do their work.

So if you aren't dissolving them, it's taking water from the cat to do so. If you are dissolving it first you're bringing outside water to do the work.