Although it may seem like a silly thing to talk about, a cat food bowl is actually very important for the health of your cat.
When you buy a cat food bowl or a water bowl, your cat will have the same bowl for life. Because of this, even though it may seem like a good idea to buy that $5 bowl instead of the $20 one, when you think about it, you are paying less than $1 extra per year over the lifespan of your cat for the better bowl.
That being said, do not mistake that the more expensive bowl is better. Sometimes some of the most expensive things are the worst.
The first thing you need to think of
The first thing you need to address is the material of the bowl. You want to find a bowl that is made of high quality stainless steel, or glass. Forget about using any other type of material. Especially plastic!
The benefits of stainless steel and glass is that they are extremely easy to clean, and so they are very sanitary. You will be cleaning your cat’s food bowl every day, so finding something easy to clean is a must.
Glass and stainless steel bowls also last much longer than other materials.
One benefit that stainless steel has over glass is that it will not chip, or break if knocked over. Stainless bowls also often have other special features such as silicon bases that prevent the bowl from sliding around.
The next thing you need to think about is the style of the food bowl. You need to make sure the food bowl is small enough for your cat to comfortably eat out of it. It should not be very deep, and it should not be so wide that your cat’s neck cannot reach to both ends of the bowl.
Your cat’s bowl should also be circular. Although there are different shapes that seem cute, it is much easier for a cat to eat from a circular bowl.
Not only do plastic bowls last less time, they also can get chewed up, and some cats can actually have an allergy to plastic.
Lead Free Glass Bowl
If you are getting a glass bowl, make sure there is no lead in the glass. If you decide on a glass bowl, you should buy an anti slip mat for under the bowl, to keep it in the same place.
Stainless Steel Bowl
If you are getting a stainless steal bowl, try and find one with a silicon base. These are very helpful to make the bowl stay in the same spot. Without the silicon base, your cat will actually push around the bowl as it eats.
Automatic cat feeders
Although these are great for people who work late, or need to leave their cat alone for a couple days at a time. They are not the best idea to use. When you do not feed your cat regularly, you can forget about it. If this happens that cat food dispenser can run out of food, and your cat will go hungry. If you use one of these, make sure you check the dispenser regularly to make sure it is still working, and it has food.
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