Catster.com frequently has a Daily Tip from me and recently one of my tips had some terrific ideas and comments from other cat lovers. This was the tip:
No matter how much you wash them, some plastic bowls will always retain odors. Plastic can also harbor bacteria, which then can irritate the cat’s chin. The best way to feed a cat wet food is to give up the idea of a bowl entirely and serve meals on a nice saucer so that your kitty cat doesn’t have to press her face down into a bowl of food, which can often cause blackheads on her chin.
And here are some of the really good suggestions from readers:
1) We use a new paper plate every feeding and then throw it away. Keeps the kitty happy and healthy.
2) After reading this tip plastic bowls are going to be a thing of the past for Smudge. He will now be eating his wet food from a nice ceramic saucer. I can reuse those plastic bowls underneath small plants if I put holes in the bottom for drainage.
3) I took your advice about the bowls, and this past summer picked up some fine china saucers at a yard sale. My cats love the fine china, and they do not have to put their face in a bowl. The dishes are great when heating food in the microwave, and I can put them in the dishwasher and have them sterilized.
4) I use ceramic and china saucers and bowls for wet food, steel for outside water and ceramic and glass for inside water dishes. No paper plates or plastic used! I wash their dishes with warm soapy water and rinse well. I buy most of their dishes at the thrift store, so no big deal if the dishes break. I keep a separate scrubbie in the sink for them and separate dishtowel. It costs a few extra minutes a day, but they are so well worth it!
5) I discovered it’s true that plastic bowls are not good for cats because it creates an infection right below their mouth: I found this was the problem on three of my (24 rescued!) Persians and when I switched to ceramic dishes the infection cleared up quickly. I love my ‘kids’ (all 24 of them!) and everyone should take this seriously. Goodwill and Salvation Army and other second-hand stores have ceramic and glass dishes very inexpensively.