The most practical cat feeding mats are non slip. The mat and the food bowl must stay on the floor without sliding around. The best mats are silicone, which is non slip or microfiber, or a fabric which has a non slip backing.
Silicone cat food mats often have a slight raised edge around the top. This prevents food from being pushed over the raised edge to the floor or to contain any liquid spills. Silicone mats are made like this because the mats are molded.
Why Do You Need A Cat Feeding Mat?
We have not always used a cat feeding mat. In retrospect, I don’t know why as it so much easier keeping the cat’s feeding area clean and tidy using cat food feeding mats.
- When using a cat feeding mat, bowls don’t slide across the floor.
- It is far easier to pick up and clean a feeding mat than getting down and cleaning the floor.
- Chunks of wet cat food that have hardened can be difficult to pick up and also get stuck to the floor surface. Eliminate food messes.
- A cat feeding mat protects the floor surface when food bowls are always placed in the same location.
Does It Have To Be A cat Feeding Mat?
You can use any placemat which wipes clean, OR if you do choose a fabric mat, ensure it can be machine washed.
A hard, slippery, plastic surface may be easy to wipe clean but will skid around the floor. That is not going to work. Been there, done that and it was backbreaking repeatedly picking it up.
You can see the anti-skid, water resistant bottom layer of the mat we are using at the moment.
It stays in place and there is no chasing the bowl.
Another option is to use a disposable placemat. There are times when they are useful, for example when someone else is caring for your cat for a period of time.
It makes life easier for the carer and when someone is doing a favor, it’s nice to make the chore as easy as possible.
What Are You Looking For In A Cat Feeding Mat?
The most important features are
- The cat feeding mat needs to be non slip.
- The dimensions – will the cat feeding mat fit the space, so that no one will be tripping over it and it is easy to get to for the cat?
- The material used in the mat’s construction. Feeding mats are silicone or microfiber or synthetic fabric.
- The color may not be important to you but there is a huge choice of cat feeding mats. They come in super bright colors and neutrals plus mats with funny kitty sayings.
The photos below show the pet feeding mat we are using. It has been machine washed or spot cleaned many, many, many times and still looks good.
It doesn’t skid at all.
Our cat loves his mat so much that he is partial to having a little snooze on the mat.
Maybe he is hoping the the empty bowl will be magically filled while he is asleep.
I think the cat has FOMO.
What Are Cat Feeding Mats Made From?
Cat feeding mats fall into two categories.
There are mats made from silicone which are non slip.
There are mats made from microfiber or fabric which have a non slip backing.
There are mats made from polyester, rubber and recycled materials.
Choosing a cat food mat is a matter of practicality of space and personal preference in design.
We have reviewed the different types of pet feeding mats.
Silicone Cat Feeding Mats
One very good design feature of silicone food mats is the rim around the edge.
The rim on the silicone food mats keeps all the food and any liquids, contained on the mat which is helpful when cleaning the area.
Cat Guru Premium Cat Food Mat – Our Recommendation
A big plus for Cat Guru, is not only the different options listed in the Specifications but also the matching food and water bowls.
The food bowls and water bowls are shallow as all bowls for cats should be.
This addresses the question of whisker fatigue and make eating so much easier for the cat.
There’s more information about whisker fatigue and whisker fatigue bowls here. The Cat Guru Bowls are reviewed in more detail.
And… if that isn’t enough, there is the Cat Guru food bowl table which elevates the food bowl so that the cat can eat in a crouch position.
This is the natural eating position for cats.
These bowls are, you guessed, color coordinated with the mats and food bowls.
Cat Guru have cat feeding mats sorted.
Pros
High edges – This mat can take up to cups of spilled water and food.
The cat food mat and food bowl and food table all complement each other. Big advantage in the different options offered. See the Specifications below.
Cons
Traps dust and hair – not necessarily a negative but something to be aware of.
Specifications
When you click through to see the product in more detail, you will see that there are four options for different sizes in the cat food mats.
Two of the mats have a curved side edge and two of the mats have straight edges.
As well, there is a silicone tray that is a solid tray, not a flexible tray. The solid tray has small silicone feet to keep it in place.
Pet Fusion Large Waterproof Pet Food Mat
This silicone cat food mat has evenly spaced, slightly raised bumps on the top of the mat and underneath and to further prevent the mat from sliding around.
Pros
The food mat can be washed in the sink or by cloth or wiping with a paper towel or putting in the top rack of the dishwasher.
Cons
The curve in the design of the mat, means that the mat cannot sit flush against a wall.
Specifications
The mat comes in three sizes. Small measures 18 x 12 x 0.3 inches. Large measures 24 x 16 x 0.4 inches. Extra Large measures 34 x 22.5 x 0.5 inches.
The color choices are beige, for the small mat, blue for the large mat and gray for the extra large mat.
Reopet – Silicone Cat Bowl Food Mat
Pros
Can take heat up to 460F. It is dishwasher safe. Can be wiped clean.
The mat has a lip to stop spills.
Work well on hardwood flooring to stop skidding.
Can be used outdoors.
Cons
The mat arrives rolled and can take some time to straighten out.
The black mat showed water stains for one cat owner.
Some say the silicone is thin.
Specifications
This mat comes in five different sizes – 18”x11.5”, 21”x15”, 24”x 16”, 28”x18” and 34”x23”. There are 25 color choices.
Hoki Found Silicone Pet Food Mat
This mat is FDA approved silicone and is non toxic and non allergenic. It can be wiped or rinsed or put in the dishwasher.
It has a raised outer edge to prevents spills and protect flooring.
It has no odor which is a plus as odors and cats do not go together.
The mat works best with a bowl that has a non slip edge. Many stainless steel bowls have a non slip edge.
Pros
Good if you need to protect hardwood, laminate or carpeted areas.
It is perfect for putting under a water fountain and catching any stray drips.
Cons
The black color shows water spots. This appears to be a common issue with silicone mats that are colored black.
Be careful picking up if the mat is filled with water as the mat is flexible.
Specifications
This mat comes in five different sizes – 19”x12”, 22”x14”, 14”x16”, 28”x20” and 28”x26”. There are 30 color choices. Note that black may show water splashes.
Microfiber Cat Feeding Mats
Most of these microfiber mats shown below, have many other design and color options.
The microfiber mat shown directly below, is the one we used. I did actually replace it at some point with the exactly the same mat.
Unfortunately I can’t remember how long I used it before replacing. I will say though that I was happy that I could still get exactly the same mat.
Sinland Microfiber Pet Bowl Mat
This is the exact mat that we have and is described in more detail near the beginning of this article. The one we used, is the one pictured second from the bottom.
The backing is anti-skid. It can be washed in the washing machine and placed in the dryer on low heat.
It dries so quickly that I have never needed to put it in the dryer.
Although it is recommended as suitable to use under a water fountain because it holds up to four times its weight in water, I would choose a silicone mat in preference to place under a water fountain.
For normal spills when eating and drinking from a water bowl (not fountain) it is fine.
It also radiates any moisture from the point of origin which helps to keep floors dry. It is very reasonably priced and a great product.
Pros
We have jarrah hardwood floors that are very old, so protecting them is a must. No problem at all with this mat.
Cons
Some pet owners say that the mat wrinkled after washing. I can honestly say, that I never had that problem. When machine washing, I always popped it into a laundry bag. Mostly I could spot clean.
Specifications
This is a microfiber fabric with a non slip bottom.
There are five different sizes available. The color and shape of the mat may vary from size to size.
The mat can be machine washed and tumble dried. I spot cleaned our mat mainly but every now and then a machine wash is needed.
Note: As our cat became elderly his eating habits definitely became messier. I did change to a mat that could just be rinsed under the tap then, for convenience.
Microfiber Cat Feeding Mat
Microfiber Cat Food Mat
Fabric/Polyester/Recycled materials Cat Feeding Mats
Polyester Fabric/Waterproof Backing Cat Food Mat
There are six different design to choose from. These mats are made in the USA.
Cat Food Mat – Recyclable Materials – 11 Excellent Designs
Cat Bowl Mat, Non-Slip Super Absorbent
Absorbent – Quick Drying- Non-Slip pet Food Bowl mat
