Which food bowl is best for older cats?

As cats age, they can become fussy eaters who may balk at their once beloved food dish. Senior cats, over age 7, often develop issues with digestion, which can exacerbate feeding issues even more. 

There are many different types of food dishes that cat’s eat from, including a flat dish, elevated dish, slow feeder dish, or different materials including stainless steel, porcelain, or plastic dishes to choose from. Elevated food bowls are designed to keep the food higher than your cat’s stomach, versus below the stomach with a traditional bowl or plate. A slow feeder forces your cat to slow down when eating, and can reduce the risk of vomiting or bloat. An elevated dish or a slow feeder can also help keep your cat’s weight in check by forcing them to eat more slowly than they would with a traditional flat bowl or plate. 

Elevated food bowls can help keep food in the bowl as well as help improve your cat’s digestion. An elevated food bowl can make it easier for your cat to eat, and helps keep spilled food and water to a minimum. An elevated bowl helps cats eat in a more natural position. She will also typically eat less when her bowl is a little higher than ground level. Elevated bowls can also help to prevent spine and hip problems commonly seen in older cats.

Another consideration with elevated food bowls for cats is gastric reflux. Older cats tend to have reflux and an elevated bowl tends to alleviate some of the symptoms associated with reflux. Raised food bowls can also help aid your cat’s digestion. Cats are also more likely to eat better with an elevated food bowl, because the food stays put and their is less strain on their body – which is especially important for older cats. 

Certain elevated food bowls, provide better comfort for cats when they eat and also provide backflow prevention. Other elevated bowls have an inner lip that means food won’t spill out of the bowl. 

When considering an elevated food bowl for your cat, there are many types of materials to choose from: stainless steel, porcelain, plastic, etc. Our preference is porcelain. Porcelain dishes do not absorb bacteria the way plastic dishes can and stainless steel dishes can be radioactive. Plastic dishes can also cause feline acne, due to a cat’s allergic reaction to the plastic. Porcelain dishes are dishwasher and microwave safe, and although more delicate/fragile than other types of dishes, they are the easiest to keep clean. 

Before you purchase an elevated food dish, consider the height of the bowl. An ideal height for an elevated feeding dish is cat’s knee height. Simply measure your cat’s leg up to the height of her knee to determine the ideal height of the elevated food bowl for your cat. 

Should you consider purchasing an elevated food bowl, please support our sponsor by visiting their website to learn more about their elevated cat food bowls.