Raised feeders aren't just for dogs. Cats, especially flat-faced breeds, also benefit from eating in a more elevated position. Put yourself in your cat's place. Get down on “all fours” facing a floor-level plate or bowl and pretend to eat or drink from it.
Raise your cat's dish
Cats tend to crouch when they eat because it brings them closer to the ground, where their food is usually located in the wild (and often at home). But it's actually easier for your cat to eat when the dish she's eating off of is slightly elevated, and therefore closer to her mouth.
Stainless steel is unbreakable, sturdy, dishwasher-safe, and harmless to cats. It (along with ceramic bowls) is recommended by most veterinarians. Another good choice is ceramic, provided it uses a lead-free glaze.
Raised 3 Inches
We researched and watched cats of different heights and weight eat. We determined raising the bowl 3 inches was ideal. It raises the bowl to a safe and comfortable height without causing the cat to reach upward for food.
The Importance of an Elevated Eating Surface
Elevated bowls are designed to make your cat's mealtime more enjoyable and comfortable. Raised cat bowls allow your cat to eat and drink from their natural position, which makes it easier for it to reach its food. Raised bowls also prevent your cat from eating too fast.
An elevated food bowl will help overcome the resistance of gravity, making it easier for your cat to swallow its food, regardless of whether it has a dental issue, neurologic issue, or an upper respiratory infection.
As a cat's sensitive whiskers rub against the sides of a deep bowl, they begin to hurt. Cats prefer bowls with a wide, shallow design that allow their whiskers to remain above the bowl while they eat and drink. Look for bowls designed specifically for cats (most dog bowls are too deep) and that prevent whisker fatigue.
Separate Food and Water Bowls
Cats also do not enjoy the scent of food while drinking water. In addition, they are turned off by food particles in their water. Therefore, keep cat food and water bowls in two separate locations.
The Best Option: Pet Platters!
Dogs and cats instinctively navigate their food better on a flat surface and it's more natural to be able to pick and choose what they want to eat first.
The elevated cat food bowl puts a cat's mouth at a suitable position in relation to its stomach, which helps cat to swallow easily and reduce occasional vomiting. So your cats could sit and eat quite more comfortably.
A raised dog bowl is a great idea for most dogs, even small dogs, but are particularly beneficial to medium and larger dogs. Why? Straining down to reach your food is no fun for anyone and it can also have digestive and physical implications in the form of neck and even back strain.
Why do cats get bored of their food? While Mr Whiskers may like consistency in most areas of life, it is possible for your cat to feel bored of the same food. Part of this has to do with the innate nature of cats as apex predators.
The bowl causes "whisker stress."
Whiskers are special "Tactile hairs" called vibrissae with extremely sensitive follicles. These sensitive whiskers compensate for a cat's poor eyesight.
Bowl shape and size
Your cat may be avoiding their water bowl because it finds drinking from it uncomfortable. Some cats won't drink from deep or narrow bowls because they don't like their sensitive whiskers rubbing up against the sides.
The slanted cat bowls are also good for normal cats as it will further prevent the cats from getting any further complications in their neck or back that might cause digestive issues in them. Additionally, the tilted cat bowls will also make it easier to get the food due to the slanted angle.
If the water bowl is too small or deep, the whiskers can get squished when the cat lowers her head for a drink. To avoid this discomfort, a cat may learn it's easier to just dip a paw in the water. Ensure your cat's water bowl allows for whisker comfort by using one wide enough to accommodate those long whiskers.
Where should I put my cat's water bowl? Just like their food, your cat's water bowl should be somewhere relatively quiet. A hallway, for example, may be too busy for them, even if they are very sociable. Put your cat's water bowl somewhere clean and odour-free – and far away from their litter tray!
Placing bowls in the corner of a room so they have their back to everything could leave them feeling anxious and uncomfortable. Instead, place them out in the open where they have a circular line-of-sight. This is especially important if you have any other pets in the house. Keep away from litter trays.
For cats: The bowl should be at the height of your cats front legs. Most adult cats are averagely 20-25cm tall, therefore the bowl should be approximately at 10-15cm in height.
"Many elevated bowls are also tilted to make it easier for your cat to eat." Cats with neck pain or senior cats with arthritis and joint pain could benefit from an elevated bowl as well, she says, because they won't have the neck strain while bending over to eat.
The ideal height for a raised feeder is the cat's knee height (approximately 4” to 6”); this eliminates the need to lift up the head while eating or drinking. Avoid the use of deep bowls in elevated feeders. Most stainless or glass bowls fit easily into elevated feeders.
They may cry and stare at you until their food bowl is filled, then wolf it down. Don't worry – they're hungry, not starving. Just like us, a cat's empty stomach sends signals to its brain when food is needed, usually at around the times of day that they are used to being fed.
Whisker fatigue doesn't exactly mean the whiskers are tired, rather, they've become stressed from overuse. The most common cause of whisker fatigue is something a cat does every day – eating and drinking. Small, high-sided bowls typically used for feeding a cat's food and water are usually to blame for whisker fatigue.
The obvious reason
Cats have small stomachs; on average about the size of a ping-pong ball, so their eating patterns can involve several breaks rather than eating an entire portion in one sitting. It's also possible that your cat is filling up on food from another source.
1: Naturally, cats prefer to eat several small meals a day, even when they have ad libitum food access.