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Picking the perfect food bowl for your Persian pal can be tough, but it can make a significant difference to your cat’s eating experience, habits, and health. This is particularly important for special breeds such as Persians, for whom feeding can be a challenge due to their flat faces and long hair.
We’ve looked at the main things you should consider when picking an eating bowl for your Persian companion, and found a few amazing options that will meet your Persian’s needs.
Main Things to Consider When Picking Your Persian Cat’s Food Bowl
Avoid plastic bowls.
Bacteria and oil build up on plastic, particularly in scratches and imperfections in the material. The bacteria can easily transfer to your cat’s face, leading to infections. This is a concern for Persians as they are already prone to bacteria build up on their face, especially around the eyes.
Plastic bowls can also absorb odours, which can be off putting for your cat and may deter them from eating or drinking.
Select something ceramic, stainless steel or melamine (a non-toxic, non-allergenic compound) instead, and check your chosen food bowl for scratches and chips that can both harbour bacteria and hurt your cat’s mouth.
Look for a shallow bowl.
In general, all cats prefer dishes that are shallow and wide so that they do not need to dip their head into the bowl in order to eat. They don’t like anything that prevents them from looking up at their environment while eating, and there is also a suggestion that deep bowls can irritate their whiskers.
Investing in a shallow, wide dish is doubly important for Persians as their flat faces make it more challenging for them to reach into a deep bowl, making it difficult for them to eat all their food, causing them distress while eating, and increasing the likelihood that food will get caught in the hair on their face, which if not cleaned properly can lead to infection and further distress.
Go non-slip.
This can refer both to dishes that won’t move around on the floor when your cat is trying to eat from them, and dishes which help prevent food spilling from the bowl or getting stuck in corners where your cat can’t reach it. Having a proper non-stick bowl decreases mess for you and your cat, leads to less food wastage and means your cat doesn’t go hungry.
In terms of the bowl moving around the floor, the weight of the dish is an important factor, as well as grips on the bottom of the bowl that ensure good contact with the floor.
In terms of slippage within the bowl, there are many design techniques to help keep the food in the centre of the bowl including internal ripples or a slanted base.
Consider a specialty dish.
Specialty dishes that offer your cat their food at an angle can also be ideal for Persians as again it prevents them from needing to dip their head deep into the bowl. A slight elevation to the dish can also help with this, and some experts also suggest that this can be better for your cat’s back while eating.
Never get a double bowl.
Separate bowls are preferable to ‘double bowls’ as cats don’t like to have their water next to their food as it can become contaminated with bits of food or odour.
Which Are the Best Cat Bowls on The Market?
Now you know what the important factors are, what products are out there for your Persian cat.
Dr. Catsby Cat Food Bowl
This wide, shallow bowl keeps food from getting stuck and prevents overfeeding. It also prevents whisker fatigue, which makes for stress free meals.
What is whisker fatigue?
Simply put, whisker fatigue is when some cats’ whiskers brush up against something consistently, such as their food or water bowls. This causes discomfort, possibly even pain, which makes eating and drinking stressful.
This bowl is also designed to keep your cat from getting acne or help in healing your cat that does have acne.
What is cat Acne?
Feline acne is where blackheads form on your cat’s chin and surrounding areas. This can cause lesions, alopecia, and crusty sores. In most cases the symptoms are mild and needs no treatment. You can tell if your cat has acne as their chin will look dirty.
What more can you expect from this bowl? It is made safer for your cat because it is made from kitchen grade stainless steel. The same stainless steel we use for ourselves. This makes the bowl durable and easy to clean. It’s dishwasher safe. This bowl also comes with a food grade, removable silicone mat to prevent the bowl from slipping and sliding on the floor.
Dr. Catsby also has a stainless-steel water bowl as well.
UPSKY Raised Bowl
The unique magnet design of this bowl allows you to adjust the bowl position anywhere from zero to thirty degrees. This allows you to make it to suit different cats. The 2.5 inch raised stand is made to lower the pressure of your cat’s joints and stomach. It reduces the burden on their neck and promotes a healthy digestive system. The dish itself is 5.5 inches wide, making it the perfect size for almost any cat.
The bowl is removable from the base, which makes it easy to clean. The base is inclined slightly to prevent spills. It also has four non-slip rubber feet on the bottom to prevent sliding and tipping when your cat is eating.
It is made of a high quality, food grade melamine.
CatGuru Premium Food Bowl
Available in either oval or round shape and in six different colours. This bowl ticks all the key boxes. It is wide and shallow, made from melamine, and keeps food accessible for your cat by using tiny ripples in the bowl cavity that prevent food from sliding over the edge of the bowl.
Designed specifically to accommodate a 4.5 ounce serving, the standard serving for normal size cats, it’s also easy to ensure you are feeding your cat the right amount without time consuming measuring. It is durable and dishwasher safe.
iBard Dual purpose Slanted Cat Food Bowl
Designed to protect your cat’s cervical spine by allowing it to adjust its food posture, the wide opening and tilt are ideal for flat faced cats. Made from high-quality resin material that is free of toxins, eco-friendly and safe for your pet, it is durable, and the weight adds a non-slip feature.
Y YHY Ceramic Raised Cat Food Bowl
This raised bowl helps your cat eat in a better position in relation to their stomach, which can help your feline swallow easier, preventing the occasional vomiting. The tilted angle helps keep the food piled nicely so that it falls to the center and keeps your cat from pushing the food off the bowl. This bowl is perfect for flat faced breeds.
This bowl also helps keep the burden off your cat’s neck by keeping them from having to bend down to the dish.
The dish has eight non-slip rubber feet to keep it from sliding across the floor while your cat eats, preventing messes.
It is made from FDA approved ceramic, which means it is lead and cadmium free. The ceramic material makes this bowl anti-corrosion, rustproof, sanitary, and healthy. Plus, it is dishwasher safe.
Using Your Food Bowl at Home
Once you’ve selected the perfect food bowl for your Persian, there are a few other things to consider.
Location
Cats can be very particular about the location of their food and water bowls. They generally prefer that their food bowls aren’t placed too close to their litter trays (you wouldn’t want to eat by your toilet!), and also prefer to eat in quieter areas of the home with less traffic.
If you have more than one cat, don’t place their bowls too close together – cats are instinctually solitary hunters and can get irritated when other cats eat too close to them.
Also, don’t locate your cat’s water bowl too close to their food bowl (or litter tray) as the water can become contaminated with food and odour that can put them off drinking. Also, if you’re worried that your cat isn’t drinking enough, consider a pet water fountain, as cats love drinking from running water.
Hygiene
While most people remember to wash their cat’s bowl after each use if they are eating wet food, the same is not always true for dry food. Try and wash your cat’s dry food bowl every day, as dry cat food tends to be oily, so it can collect bacteria and start to smell.
Also, remember to check your cat’s bowl regularly for scratches and chips that can harbour bacteria or hurt your cat’s mouth.
Interactive Eating
As Persian’s are mostly indoor cats due to their long hair, placid nature and high value, they don’t get to exercise their hunting instincts as much as some other cats. With this in mind, you might also want to consider an interactive cat feeder, like this Doc & Phoebe Interactive Indoor Hunting Cat Feeder. The feeder allows you to place five small meals inside individual ‘mice’ feeders for your cat to hunt in the home. Experts suggest that letting your cat simulate hunting reduces stress and that breaking your cat’s meal into five portions reduces instances of scarf and barf, and the need for early wake up feeding calls.
Final Thoughts
While your cat’s food bowl may seem like a simple choice that requires little thought, putting a little bit of extra thought and consideration into getting a bowl that suits their specific needs can make your cat both healthier and happier. I wrote a post on automatic cat feeders that you may also find interesting.
Thanks for the information it can help me so much as a beginner to addopt a persian cat breed.
I noticed my Ragdoll stopping to wash his face during his meal. He also has cat acne around his mouth. He is a rescue so I don’y know his background, but will try one of the wide shallow bowls.
Let me know how you get on, some cats just prefer eating from shallow bowls.
My Persian is very messy when he eats. We tried shallow bowls, but it still gets tossed up and out. Ideas?
Hi Geoffrey, I’ve tried most bowls on the market, normal plates, raised bowls and my Persian still sends the food everywhere. I don’t currently have a suggestion for this, unfortunately, I think due to their flat faces you will always have this issue. The only time my Persian isn’t messy is when I hand feed him treats!
You can also buy two shallow bowls for the cat to eat drink and buy two slightly larger bowls that cradle the two smaller shallow bowls. Set the bowls on top at a slant and you’ve made your own eating station for much less, and you can customize to your cats size.
I have a five year old male who licks his Fancy Feast dinner instead of using his teeth to pick it up and eat it. He has always done that. I keep pushing it in a pile in the center for him until he’s done eating. It’s getting difficult to bend down now so I have been searching for a dish to help him grab his food better. I don’t think any of these will help. What are your thoughts and suggestions? Thank you so much.
Hi Kelly,
Most Persians seem to do this, my own Persian Milo does it. The only solution is trial and error, you need a bowl that isn’t flat and has enough of a dish for them to pick the food out. The suggestions in the post are good options.