Replacement cat bowls

orthsquel

I've been on the look out for a while for potential replacement cat bowls/dishes but today as a result of one completely breaking in the middle, I'm looking at replacing them all. We have at the moment ordinary plastic ones that my folks got a few years ago, perhaps as a one-off somewhere from a supermarket to either one of the two old pet shops that closed down in the last year or two.

I've looked in the local shop of a national store in the past while on the look out but all I have ever seen in there are ceramic, stainless steel or the 2 in 1 type bowl, however that could just be down to that shop's stock and intend on going to another store of those to see what they offer. I've looked online today for the shops that do sell online and in store as well as online only and it seems largely the choice being ceramic or plastic non slip with some stainless steel thrown in, with one exception of online only that has almost identical ones to what we have.

The question I have is that from looking online, there are plastic bowls with non slip feet that you either insert or are already on/in, or plastic bowls with rubber non slip rims. Are either of those any good? Any difficulty with the rubber wearing easily, hand washing or putting in the dishwasher?

I'm not particularly keen on ceramic bowls for the simple reason that we had those in the past and they chipped easily and can break... and the cats can be a bit skittish with unfamiliar feet (which is why often they are feed up higher on their own counter) or with loud unfamiliar noises (outdoor, indoor, toddlers) so I've considered them unsuitable, however, I wanted to ask does it make any difference other than practicality if they are ceramic or stainless steel? Like is it healthier for the cat or keep the food better (for the whole 5 minutes it's in there lol) over plastic bowls?

Thanks

Nody

Depends on what you feed; in general plastic is not recommended because it can scratch easily which can become a source for bacteria to grow. Ceramic or metal obviously don't have that issue (well cracking possibly in case of ceramic). Personally I have a preference for metal bowls because it's easier to keep clean and stack up but as long as you're feeding normal kibble/wet and not raw etc. I don't think it will make much of a difference to be honest.

Rips

The best bowls I have found came from Maxizoo, unfortunately they are old and theres no branding no them. The are melamine, shallow, small and have rubber feet. I did think I would prefer a shallow ceramic bowl but you can't get one for love nor money it seems! Anyway, these have stood the test of time, look as new. The only one similar that Zooplus has, is the Savic whisker bowl, and it has no feet.

I have a heavy ceramic bowl for water, its not very big but there is no way the cat would knock it over. The rim is tapered so I fill it to the very brim because the cat likes that

Stainless steel is fine too, but I just personally hate them, zooplus seems to have some nice ones though.

ETA; Just looking at zooplus and they have added a shallow ceramic bowl!

Pumpkinseeds

We buy cheap ceramic soup/cereal bowls from places like Euro shops/Dealz for our cats. They don't have anti-slip feet but 2 of our cats eat on a worktop and we've never had any breakages. They're so cheap I don't mind replacing them. A lot of cats don't like to use a dish that brushes against their whiskers and these ones don't.

Zapperzy

I have a cat that suffers from cat acne on her chin, it's recommended she uses stainless steel or ceramic bowls over plastic because of bacteria harbouring in scratches in plastic bowls. That and they're easier to clean is why I'd choose them over plastic.

I have one with a rubber rim around the bottom and find it doesn't cope well in the dishwasher and cracks when it dries out. Wouldn't be gone on them.

Zooplus have a good selection of bowls, I actually ordered a new ceramic one this evening, they all seem to be around the €2-€3 mark.

orthsquel

Nody wrote: »

Depends on what you feed; in general plastic is not recommended because it can scratch easily which can become a source for bacteria to grow.

Zapperzy wrote: »

it's recommended she uses stainless steel or ceramic bowls over plastic because of bacteria harbouring in scratches in plastic bowls.

I wouldn't have thought of that although bowls do get sterilised each wash, but I'll definitely take that on board and re-consider other options over plastic; does it make a difference though with Melamine plastic in preventing bacteria or the same issue with scratches?

Rips wrote: »

Stainless steel is fine too, but I just personally hate them, zooplus seems to have some nice ones though.

ETA; Just looking at zooplus and they have added a shallow ceramic bowl!

Glad you found your shallow ceramic bowl by helping me I've had a look on zooplus and there's certainly nicer ones than I have seen in the past in other places and looking today... maybe I just wasn't looking at the nicest lot either in store in places or online, a lot didn't appeal but I like some on zooplus and thinking either I'll totally overshop or I'll have to get one of everything.

I wouldn't have been pushed about stainless steel (noise if it ever fell I know from dropping pot lids on the wooden floor or on the counter it makes a racket) but I'd probably get them for new water bowls as an addition to their stainless steel small pot/jug already used by them that they chose a long time ago as their water source.

Pumpkinseeds wrote: »

We buy cheap ceramic soup/cereal bowls from places like Euro shops/Dealz for our cats. They don't have anti-slip feet but 2 of our cats eat on a worktop and we've never had any breakages. They're so cheap I don't mind replacing them. A lot of cats don't like to use a dish that brushes against their whiskers and these ones don't.

That's definitely worth looking into! I'm actually nearly sure that's how we started off in the first place many years ago when we first had cats, using all the soup and breakfast bowls and saucers that we no longer used when a new set came along (and then they got nabbed for dishes for under plants) and it may be worth my while exploring that route so long as we all remember what they are used for and don't give them to guests

Zapperzy wrote: »

I have one with a rubber rim around the bottom and find it doesn't cope well in the dishwasher and cracks when it dries out. Wouldn't be gone on them.

Zooplus have a good selection of bowls, I actually ordered a new ceramic one this evening, they all seem to be around the €2-€3 mark.

I'm helping people shop for their best friends today!
Thank you about the rubber rim - this in particular is what I keep coming across is that a lot of bowls have this rim and what I figured is that it probably works well for that purpose but also thought it might be a problem with washing or in the dishwasher, over time wearing down. In my head I'd want a bowl that is hard wearing and know from products of my own I've bought down the years extra dressing like rubber rims and that sort of thing don't last, but considered it could just be me being cynical. If it cracks in the dishwasher then it's probably something that will gradually deteriorate and probably something I should consider avoiding.

I really appreciate the help, I'll have a re-think about the ceramic and stainless steel bowls, maybe I'll pick up just one of each as testers locally and see how the cats react to them (not that they are generally that fussy as to what bowl, dish, plate, floor, counter that eat off/from) and what best suits them before buying a whole replacement lot.

RockDesk

I use ones from Super Valu. They're €1.50 each. They're plastic and they have the rubber grips that you put in yourself. It's the same as alot of things, I've had a bowl that the grips fell out straight away and another which still has them all intact 2 years later. I'd definitely recommend them, they hold up very well in the dishwasher.

I don't know if I'm allowed put a link here but they're called Good Girl non slip bowls. If you're looking for something a bit fancier, you could try Amazon.

morgana

We are using ceramic bowls, old cereal bowls in fact. They have proven the most popular with our lot as they have a wide opening and sloping walls. They don't like either metal bowls or ceramic ones with straight sides.

orthsquel

Well I've spent the couple of days since shopping for cat bowls as I've 3 big pet shops in driving distance near where I was going anyway which ought to have them. Unfortunately I've been met with great disappointment between poor range of bowls and poor quality (partiuclarly some of the rubber rim on metal dishes) as well as extraordinary ridiculous prices asked for even the most basic of bowls in one pet shop chain!

It was 3rd big pet shop that was a saver of frustration with a good range and choice of ceramic, stainless steel and plastic (with a rubber rim) of which I got one of each to try which were all reasonably priced.

I ended up going to nearby Woodie's remembering they do pet stuff as well (I was looking for those small blankets they used to have) and found they stock bowls too and have a decent enough range and found a lovely double dish that might replace another double dish that we have!

I have to ask though: are melamine bowls generally quite expensive? I've been quite surprised by the prices I've seen for melamine bowls of any variety, even fairly straight forward and simple ones to the more double dish with stainless steel insert dishes (€23-€26 in one shop for Brand A and €13- €16 in another shop for Brand .

Hopefully after washing I'll be testing out the new bowls I got on the cats over the coming days, see what they think! But I'll be double checking a few supermarkets like SuperValu that I haven't yet checked in case I'm missing something suitable!

Lumi

TK Maxx also generally have a decent selection of cat bowls. I picked up a couple of good quality ones in the Galway branch recently