6 Best Whisker-Relief Cat Bowls for Cats in 2022 – Reviews & Top Picks
If you’ve noticed that your cat has suddenly stopped eating and drinking from their usual food and water bowls, they may be suffering from whisker sensitivity. Whisker sensitivity, or whisker fatigue, is a surprisingly common issue in cats. Your cat’s
whiskers are extremely sensitive, and placing their heads deep into their bowls to access their food pushes their whiskers to the side, causing them discomfort.
This is a relatively modern problem caused by the deep bowls that owners typically use to feed their cats. The solution is simple: a whisker-relief bowl that has a much shallower design and won’t cause your cat’s whiskers to be bent backward while they eat and drink.
The concept may sound simple, but there are many whisker-relief bowls on the market that attempt to solve this problem, and finding the right one can be confusing. We found the six best whisker-relief bowls and put them to the test, creating in-depth reviews to help you choose the best whisker-relief bowl for your cat.
The Elevated Whisker-Relief Cat Bowl from Hepper is an elegant yet functional cat bowl and is our top choice overall. The water and food bowl set has a unique raised design that will catch any spilled food or water on its concave edges, while still providing a comfortable eating and drinking experience for your feline. The stainless-steel bowls are shallow and wide, with a 10-ounce capacity, and are removable for easy cleaning. Both the base and bowls are dishwasher safe, and the base is made from pet-safe, chew-proof plastic to stop bacteria build-up and deter cats that like to chew.
The only issue we had with these bowls is that while they are great for food, they are a bit small for water, so you’ll need to replace the water several times a day, especially if there are multiple cats in your home.
Pros
Elegant, ergonomic design
10-ounce capacity
Unique, spill-proof design
Shallow stainless-steel bowls for whisker-relief
Dishwasher safe
Cons
Not ideal for water
You might have guessed, this is our own product – but we love it so much we just have to share it, and hope you get to own one too!
2. CatGuru Whisker Stress-Free Cat Food Bowl — Best Value
This whisker-relief bowl from CarGuru is made from hygienic, surgical stainless steel with pressed ripples to enable your cat to eat comfortably and access their food easily, so it is the best whisker-relief bowl for the money. It has a non-slip ring fitted to the underside of the bowl to help prevent spillage, and since it doesn’t absorb smells or scratch or crack easily, it is a breeze to clean and completely dishwasher safe. The saucer design with ripples ensures that the food moves to the center of the bowl as your cat eats, making for an easy, comfortable mealtime.
That said, this bowl works great with dry food, but not so much with wet food. The shallow, slippery design makes wet food slide easily out of the side, which causes a mess. Also, there is only one small notch on the underside, making the bowl frustrating to pick up once your cat is done eating.
If you’re looking for a more premium bowl option for your feline, this whisker-relief bowl from Dr. Catsby’s is a great choice. The bowl is shallow and wide, ideal for cats with whisker sensitivity, and is made from hygienic, food-grade, BPA-free stainless steel that won’t scratch or chip and harbor bacteria. The shape of the bowl was developed by measuring a large sampling of cats’ whiskers to come up with the ideal shape for whisker-friendly eating. The bowl has a side cut-out to make it easy to pick up and a non-skid silicone bottom to prevent spilling.
Other than the high price, the only issue we found with this bowl is that while it’s great for wet and dry food, it’s not ideal for water because it spills easily and needs to be refilled frequently.
The ViviPet Ceramic Q Elevated Cat Bowl is made with premium, lead-free ceramic, with an ergonomic 15-degree angle and shallow design that makes it ideal for cats with sensitive whiskers and flat-faced cats like Persians. The bowl is elevated, making it ideal for keeping pests out of your cat’s food, and is perfectly dishwasher safe and microwaveable. The bowl can hold up to 1 cup of dry food comfortably and comes in four different colors to suit your cat’s unique personality.
Due to the slanted design, this bowl cannot be used for water and is not ideal for dry food either because it spills out easily all over the floor. The ceramic design also means the bowl may crack and chip easily, which can potentially harbor bacteria.
These melamine bowls from Lorde have a unique, adorable cat design and can be used as a decoration as much as for feeding your cat! The bowls have an elevated design for easy access and to help keep out pests, and they are shallow to cater to cats with whisker issues. They are made with melamine, which is more durable and less prone to chipping than ceramic, with non-slip legs to help reduce spillage. The bowls come in a set of two for food and water and in three different color combinations: black and white, pink and white, and yellow and white. They are also dishwasher safe and easy to clean.
Several users report that the non-slip pads on the legs come off easily, and the bowls are a bit too shallow to use with water.
The Lakerwin Stainless Steel cat bowls come in a pair and are shallow and wide to provide relief for cats with whisker issues. These bowls are made from BPA-free, food-grade stainless steel that is dishwasher safe and easy to clean and won’t scratch easily or harbor potentially harmful bacteria. These bowls can hold 1 cup of wet or dry food, and they can be used for water too, making them perfect for your felines!
The main issue that we had with these bowls is the lack of non-skid feet or base, so they will move around on a smooth surface. Also, the design is a bit top-heavy, making the bowls easy to spill, especially with water.
Pros
Made with BPA-free, food-grade stainless steel
Easy to clean
Comes in a convenient pair
Inexpensive
Cons
No non-skid base or feet
Easy to topple over
Buyer’s Guide
Signs of whisker fatigue
While whisker fatigue is surprisingly common in cats, many owners do not recognize the signs and symptoms of this issue and often mistake their cat’s food as the culprit for their cat’s reduced appetite. This leads some owners to keep switching their cat’s food from one brand to another without much success. If your cat has stopped eating their food or is eating less, spotting the signs of whisker fatigue is fairly simple.
Here are a few things to look out for:
Your cat flips their food out of their bowl and eats off the floor.
Your cat paws kibble out of the bowl.
Your cat still seems hungry but will not eat their usual food.
Your cat stares at their bowl and you for a while before eating.
Your cat doesn’t finish their food.
Even if your cat doesn’t display all these symptoms, it’s sometimes a good idea to take a proactive approach and seek out a more comfortable, shallower bowl, anyway, especially for older cats. Remember that cats are experts at hiding their discomfort, and there is no downside to investing in a more comfortable bowl regardless of a lack of symptoms.
What to look for in a whisker-relief bowl
Let’s examine a few of the factors that make a bowl good for whisker relief and what to look for when purchasing one.
The depth of the bowl is arguably the most important part of providing relief for your sensitive cat. A shallow bowl will stop your cat from having to lean so deeply into their food bowl and reduce the chance of their whiskers touching the sides, as they would with a deeper style bowl.
The bowl that you choose should be much wider than a standard bowl, to make sure their whiskers do not rub up against the sides.
Most of the time, whisker-relief bowls do not hold much food, but it should be able to hold at least 1 cup of dry food so you don’t need to refill it multiple times.
When it comes to cleanliness and hygiene, stainless steel is arguably the best material for food bowls of any kind. Stainless steel does not crack or scratch easily and is easy to clean. Ceramic bowls are the next best thing, but they can crack and chip and become unhygienic after a while.
Besides width and depth, a bowl that is slightly raised off the ground will make it easier for your cat to feed, and it reduces the chance of pests getting into your cat’s food.
Conclusion
There are many whisker-relief cat bowls on the market, and this list includes just a handful of our favorites. The Elevated Whisker-relief Cat Bowl from Hepper is our top choice overall. This water and food bowl set has a unique raised design with stainless-steel bowls and a 10-ounce capacity, and it is a breeze to clean.
This whisker-relief bowl from CatGuru is the best model for the money, as it’s made from surgical stainless steel with a non-slip base and has unique molded ripples to ensure that the food moves to the center of the bowl as your cat eats. If you’re looking for a more premium bowl option for your feline, this whisker-relief bowl from Dr. Catsby’s is a great choice. The bowl is made from hygienic, food-grade, BPA-free stainless steel with a side cut-out to make it easy to pick up, and it has a non-skid silicone bottom to prevent spilling.
Whisker fatigue is an uncomfortable condition for cats, so whisker-relief bowls can make mealtimes much easier for your feline. We hope that our in-depth reviews have helped you find the perfect bowl for your cat!
Featured Image Credit: Africa Studio, Shutterstock
Nicole is a lover of animals of all sizes but is especially fascinated with the feline variety. She’s the proud mom of Baby, a Burmese, and works every day so he can relax in the sunshine or by the fire. She’s always had a cat in her home and has spent countless days with others, observing behaviors and softening up even the grouchiest of the lot. Nicole wants to share her kitty expertise with you so you and your cat can live happy, healthy, and care-free.
