Messy Feline Eaters

April 2, 2015 11:08 PM

Any recs for a good mat to go under cat food bowls?

Our cats are really messy eaters. Is there a good mat to put under their food bowls that is easily washable and will prevent dry food scatter? Do you think a bathmat might work?

posted by kittensofthenight to Pets & Animals (18 answers total)

Response by poster: For reference there are two large bowls and a smaller plate/bowl.
posted by kittensofthenight at 11:10 PM on April 2, 2015

The search term is, I think, "feeding mat". I have this one, it comes in two sizes and I have the large one in white. The lip corals food scatter and water droplets but it's curved so nothing gets stuck under it either, and it's easy to wipe down.
posted by Mizu at 11:14 PM on April 2, 2015

I use plastic placemats for my cats' food bowls, similar to this. They're easy to wipe clean and inexpensive to replace.
posted by neushoorn at 11:31 PM on April 2, 2015

I use a clear tray from Ikea (Smula). One bowl per tray may be necessary to give the messy eaters room.

My dad uses a boot tray.
posted by SometimesChartreuse at 11:46 PM on April 2, 2015 [3 favorites]

For a messy water drinker (lapping it up over the sides), you can put a smaller bowl in a larger bowl.
posted by pracowity at 2:47 AM on April 3, 2015

I use this one for my toddler, but I think it would work well for cats, too.
posted by amro at 4:48 AM on April 3, 2015

Newspaper. Throw away the top pages when they get gross.
posted by tel3path at 4:56 AM on April 3, 2015 [1 favorite]

It's not a mat, but we use a medium size clear tupperware with a front panel cut out (and no lid) for our VERY messy cat. Otherwise, the walls around his dish get covered in specks of dried food. Now we just wipe the plastic down every few days.
posted by eisforcool at 5:53 AM on April 3, 2015

I use a baking tray, which is the right size, was cheap, and has a lip, but it's starting to rust. I recommend finding a plastic tray of that size and shape.
posted by The corpse in the library at 6:16 AM on April 3, 2015

I bought a mat like this at Target. It was in the dog section but it should work for your purposes. It is large, easily washable, and was about $10. Also, it comes in multiple colors!
posted by lucy.jakobs at 6:49 AM on April 3, 2015

Seconding a Smula tray from IKEA. A bargain at $1.99. Before that I used cat place mats from PetSmart but I prefer the tray because it has a lip and contains the mess better.
posted by Rob Rockets at 6:58 AM on April 3, 2015

I use a doormat. It's big and heavy and rubber, easy to clean and cheap. There were lots of color and style choices available.
posted by isthmus at 7:01 AM on April 3, 2015

I use old towels.
posted by Thorzdad at 7:08 AM on April 3, 2015

I use a thick fabric placemat with ribs. It keeps splashed water from spreading and scattered food bits collect in the ribs. My cat is only a little messy so I shake it into the trash every few days wash it every other week.
posted by esoterrica at 7:54 AM on April 3, 2015

Towels.
posted by vignettist at 8:03 AM on April 3, 2015

Another vote to skip the cat section at a pet store- go to the dog section. Get a big dog food mat, and one with raised edges to keep food from skittering away onto the floor.

We bought one like this, just like Mizu's.

We chose it because its mat is fairly flat (stuff with cute decorative raised patterns may look nice, but is really annoying to clean). The big raised edges are rounded which makes them easy to wipe off, and they don't trap food themselves. It's about 2 1/2 feet by 1 1/2 feet, so it takes up a lot of space, but it keeps food from getting everywhere.

Our cats are massive piggies (throwing their heads around as they eat) so food gets everywhere, but this thing does a nice job of corralling it. And the dog gets one of her own.

We tried towels and other kinds of mats, but for us, this was definitely the easiest to wipe down and keep clean.
posted by Old Man McKay at 8:42 AM on April 3, 2015

We use this translucent boot tray. It works really well for us.
posted by xiaolongbao at 11:02 AM on April 3, 2015

Response by poster: Awesome! Thanks for the advice. Glad to know it works, I've used litter mats before and they never seem to do the trick.
posted by kittensofthenight at 4:05 PM on April 3, 2015