Cat Food Bowl

If you’re like me, you love your kitty.

Mercy (short for “Mercedes”) snuggles with me on the sofa, talks to me when I come home, and just generally keeps me company. She’s my family.

I enjoy buying things for those I love, but it’s a little harder for our four-footed friends, isn’t it? Mercy doesn’t need the latest bag from Prada or a gift certificate from the spa. She’s happy with her routine of regular meals and petting. So I decided I’d give her a special cat food bowl.

But how to choose the best one? For example, you can get a one-of-a-kind, hand-painted, ceramic cat food bowl, or you can find plastic or stainless steel bowl versions. There are the automatic bowl feeders that can be programmed to feed a specific amount of food each day, and there are the raised bowls that allow your pet to eat her food off the ground. Which is best?

I learned that plastic cat food bowls are not as safe as other bowls. For example, when plastic bowls get a little older, you’ll notice they get little cracks and fissures in the plastic. These can be unhealthy for your kitty since those cracks and fissures can hold bacteria, and those bacteria can actually make your pet sick.

Many cats also have an allergy to plastic (after all, it’s not found in nature, is it?) and can end up with a type of acne on their chins. Bad news!

Most veterinarians recommend stainless steel or ceramic bowls since they’re easy to clean, just toss in the dishwasher. Bowls that have straight sides tend to be more stable and less likely to tip over, so less mess. Many ceramic bowls can be personalized with your kitty’s name, too. You’ll want to be sure that the glaze used is lead-free.

I also looked at the automatic cat feeders, but since part of my joy is feeding Mercy each day, I decided that wasn’t the way I needed to go. The automatic feeders, though, are very handy if you have to be away for a couple of days, or if you have an overweight cat who needs to be fed a little at a time during the day.

One of the newest cat food feeders on the market has a lid preventing flies and other pests from sitting on the food. Your kitty simply steps on the front edge and the lid lifts up. It’s called a Cat Food Flip Bowl. It’s kind of a trip to see your kitty figure out how to open the bowl!

I finally decided that a personalized cat food bowl was best for Mercy and me. I can match my kitchen d?cor and still get her something uniquely hers. I opted for a matching cat food mat to catch those little spills and drips.

We’re stylin’ now!

This Author really loves his home and family and lives life to the full. He also loves to learn about everything. Feel free to see some of his interests at

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