Should Cats Have Their Own Food Bowl?

Although it may seem easier and more convenient to feed your household cats from a single bowl, your attempt to conserve precious time may lead to avoidable hassles. When cats share food bowls, it can trigger the headache of feline territorial conflict -- definitely not good. In short, cats should have their own food bowls.

  1. Conflict

    • Shared food bowls can be immensely stressful for felines. If a particularly bossy cat wants sole access to the bowl and intimidates a meeker one, not only can it bring upon physical aggression, it can lead to the consequence of one -- or more -- cats not being able to get their share. Keep the nightmare scenario of hissing and scratching wars out of your life -- make sure your cats all have their own food bowls. Allow your furry buddies to eat in comfort and serenity.

    Hunting

    • The potential for food-related rivalry is innate in cats. In the wild, cats go after tiny prey animals independently, not with partners or bigger social groups. The concept of eating together may seem foreign to some cats. Because of this, you may want to provide your pets with bowls out of sight of the other ones -- on opposite sides of the refrigerator, maybe, or even in different rooms. Just make sure it's as quiet and disruption-free as possible.

    Jealousy Over Specific Foods

    • By placing your cats' food bowls in separate locales, preferably with shut doors, you also may minimize specific food-related jealousy and its issues. If one of your cats is overweight, for example, and is consuming a veterinarian prescription diet that perhaps isn't near as yummy as the food your other pets are eating, his envy may bring him to make an attempt to steal the tastier stuff. If your cats eat in different rooms, they won't be aware of the others' meals and whether they smell better or not.

    Portion Monitoring

    • Allowing cats to feed out of one bowl also makes it nearly impossible for you to monitor their food intake. Whether you're worried that one of your cuties isn't eating enough, or that one of your other cuties is perhaps eating too much, shared bowls make it difficult for you to figure out what exactly is going on, and who's getting what into their tummies.