Cat bowls are available in a bewildering variety of types to suit every cat owner. They are generally intended for domestic use and made from a variety of safe plastics, ceramics, and stainless steel. Available in various shapes, sizes, and volume capacities, lightweight cat bowls Australia are also available that are ideal for travel and made from waterproof canvass or other waterproof fabric that is foldable, easy to stow, and disposable.

Know your cat bowls.

Different cats have different needs and knowing which cat bowl is best for the feeding of cats ensures their long-term good health. The first thing cat owners need to make sure of is deciding on which cat bowls are best for their cat. An important thing that cat owners need to think about is how easy to effectively disinfect and clean is the cat bowl they have chosen. They need to first figure out what material to use in feeding and hydrating their cat from, the types of cat bowl appropriate for the age of their cat, and how easy it is to clean and carry around in their homes.

What type of cat bowls should an owner use for their cat’s food and water?

The exact shape, size, depth, color, and material cat bowls are made of can matter to a cat and can positively or negatively impact how they look at their food and water.  Every cat is different and will have their individual preferences in the size, shape, and depth of their cat bowls.

Different cat bowl materials have different levels of durability and quality, and cat owners need to choose the best material that is less likely to harbor bacteria and easy to regularly clean.

What is the best material for cat bowls?

With the prodigious availability of cat bowls for cat owners to choose from here are some basic guides in deciding on choosing the right cat bowls for their beloved cats.

The common materials used in making cat bowls are:

• Stainless steel
• Glass and ceramics
• Plastics.

In the majority of cases, stainless steel is the most ideal material for making cat bowls. It is extremely durable, easy to clean and disinfect, and highly corrosion-resistant.

Glass and ceramic cat bowls, while having the same attributes as stainless steel cat bowls, can easily chip, crack, or break and may lead to cats cutting their tongues, paws, and chins. Cracked or chipped glass and ceramic cat bowls also have a high probability of harboring bacteria where they can grow and adversely affect a cat’s overall health.

Plastic cat bowls, while readily available and very inexpensive, are best avoided for regular use. It can easily get scratched by a cat’s teeth and claws, even with light scrubbing, which can create ideal spots for bacteria to grow that, can, affect the digestive systems of a cat. 

Choosing the best size and shape for cat food bowls.

There is no such thing as a “one-size and shape-fits-all” approach for cat bowls. Each cat is different and has its particular preferences and whims when it comes to the size and shape of its cat bowls. If cat owners prefer standard cat bowls, instead of fancier and oddly shaped cat bowls, they will have better success in satisfying their cats using cat bowls that are:

• Cat bowls that are wide, but not too deep.

Wide and shallow cat bowls avoid whisker fatigue. It is a condition where cat’s whiskers suffer from nervous exhaustion due to repeated and excessive stimulation from hitting the sides of deep and narrow cat bowls. Any wide and not too deep cat bowls will be ideal for most cats, of all ages.

• Cat bowls that have gradually sloping sides.

Compared to cat bowls with constricting and vertically straight sides, cat bowls that have shallow and sloping sides avoid constricting and hard to clean corner traps that can make it hard for differently aged cats to completely reach their food and which can quickly become hidden areas for breeding bacteria when it has not been thoroughly cleaned.

• Cat bowl with non-skid rubber padding underneath. 

Cat bowls with non-skid padding, made from rubber or other materials prevent cat bowls from moving away or possibly tipping over from cats while they are eagerly taking in their food or water.

Cat bowls are also available made from inexpensive and waterproof canvas fabric materials that are ideal for travel since it is lightweight, foldable, easy to stow, and disposable. 

How to get a cat to eat from new cat bowls.

Cat owners need to determine if their cat prefers to eat alone or with other cats nearby. For cats to become accustomed to new cat bowls, if possible, cat owners should split their meals into a few bowls, preferably new cat bowls with the same sizes and shapes, in different but convenient locations of a home, aside from their feeding location. Since cats may suddenly become uncomfortable with new cat bowls in their usual eating or drinking location cat owners should try placing a couple of the same size and shape of new cat bowls in different locations to naturally relax and familiarize a cat with their new cat bowl.

Preferably cat owners should always opt for stainless steel cat bowls whenever available as stainless steel is more durable, easy to clean, and disinfect. Plastic cat bowls, on the other hand, while temptingly inexpensive and easily disposable when traveling, can emit smells that can put off a cat from eating or drinking from new cat bowls, from the many different synthetic materials used in their manufacture.

Since adequate hydration is important to a cat’s health and overall well-being, having multiple cat bowls, preferably in stainless steel, filled with regularly filled freshwater is ideal for providing cats for their daily hydration needs and stainless steel cat bowls filled with fresh and cool water strategically located in shaded spots around a home can provide cats with a readily available supply of clean cool water particularly in the summertime. Plastic cat bowls should be avoided as some cheaply manufactured plastic cat bowls can seep toxic chemicals used in their manufacture and mix with the cat water that can affect a cat’s health.