The cat feeder is one of the most essential items in any home with a kitty and is part of the list of first things to buy when adopting a pet. But did you know the importance of a cat feeder with a holder? Or that the wrong diameter and depth can compromise your feline's diet? Choosing the right cat feeder is more important than you might think. When buying a cat feeder, it's important to know that theinadequate model of feeder, the cat may even stop eating, thus harming nutrition, health and its development. To help you choose the ideal cat feeder, the Paws of the House has separated 5 tips showing which models - elevated cat feeder, traditional, interactive and automatic - and other important features that the guardian should observe.

1) A tall cat feeder helps with proper digestion

The cat food bowl should not be placed directly on the floor. In this position, the cat has to bend down too much or lean on its paws to eat. This can lead to reflux and other problems in the cat's digestive system. The ideal is to have a high cat food bowl that is at shoulder height to prevent the cat from lowering its head to eat. In addition,the further away from the floor the less risk of the food being contaminated with bacteria. The elevated cat food bowl is the one most recommended by feline health experts. But even if you have a traditional cat food bowl, no problem. You can turn it into a supported cat food bowl just with a wooden crate that serves as a support.

2) The ideal cat feeder model should be chosen according to the needs of the pet

Cat food bowl models are varied. When choosing the best model, you need to take into account the behavioral characteristics of your cat and even its general health. The most common cat food bowl options are:

• Traditional cat feeder

It is cheaper and usually made of plastic, ceramic or stainless steel. This option is the most found in pet shop and have different colors and shapes.

• Raised feeding trough for cats

This is the most ergonomic option your cat can have. As we explained, a high cat feeder is essential for your cat to be able to eat without harming its digestive system. This is a cat feeder with adjustable support, which adapts perfectly to each feline. Thus, with the high cat feeder, the kitty can eat in a healthier way.

• Automatic feeder for cats

More technological and the best for those who spend a lot of time away from home. You put the food in the automatic cat feeder and the accessory has a system that doses the amount of food, releasing the grains little by little. However, as the automatic cat feeder is more elaborate, the price is much higher.

• Interactive cat feeder

The cat eats and has fun during meals. This model has the advantage of stimulating the cat's cognition and memory. The food is available in a kind of maze that the cat needs to go around until it can eat. This feeder then helps to stimulate the pet and also ensures slower digestion, which is better for the digestive system.

3) The cat feeder needs to be easy to clean

Each model of cat food bowl has advantages and disadvantages, especially when we think about hygiene. It is important to understand that the cat food bowl should be very clean at all times. This avoids cats not eating due to lack of cleaning. In addition, the fat from the food accumulates in the bowl (especially wet food) and can cause feline acne. The cat food bowl made fromplastic, despite being the cheapest, is the most difficult to remove dirt from, while ceramic and stainless steel cat feeders are easier to clean;

4) Feeder: cat does not like it when its whiskers touch the edge of the bowl

Another important point to note when buying a cat feeder is the diameter of the object. This is something that many people do not pay attention to when buying simply because they do not know how important it is. The size of the diameter of the cat feeder needs to be large enough so that the cat's whiskers do not touch the edge when it is feeding. This region is very sensitiveand, when touching the feeder, the cat feels uncomfortable. Also notice if your pet is leaving leftover food on the sides of the feeder. Cat usually does this when it does not reach this area properly since, for that, it would need to touch the whiskers. Therefore, when choosing a cat feeder pay attention to this detail.

5) Be careful not to choose a cat feeder that is too deep

When choosing the ideal cat food bowl, depth is another factor to look at. As with diameter, the cat's whiskers can suffer from the wrong depth. A cat food bowl that is too deep causes the same discomfort, as the whiskers need to come into contact with the bowl a lot to reach the grains. Therefore, an ideal cat food bowl should have a moderate depth.These tips on diameter and depth also apply to the cat's drinking fountain. In addition, the height also influences the hydration of the pet. As we explained, a tall cat feeder is ideal, and this also applies to the drinking fountain. These are even reasons why the cat water fountain is so suitable - precisely because it is more comfortable and tall for the feline, in addition to having the watercurrent and cooler.