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The litter tray

Join our community of cat lovers on the Mumsnet Cat forum for kitten advice and help with cat behaviour.

Original poster

Are all cats messy bastards or is it just mine?

63 replies

AintNobodyHereButUsChickens · 09/12/2023 18:23

I have to clean this up every day as it seems like they find it impossible to keep food in the bowl Confused it goes all over the floor and into the water bowls, it's ridiculous! My dog wouldn't dream of just leaving food on the floor but the kittens give no fucks. If it goes on the floor they won't clean it up Hmm

Are all cats messy bastards or is it just mine?
OP posts:
TerfTalking · 09/12/2023 18:26

Can I suggest try feeding the cat on a flat plate. Cats whiskas are very sensitive and they often don’t like small bowls.

of course it may just be a messy bastard.

CatChant · 09/12/2023 18:41

Try putting wipeable mats under the bowls.

That is an awfully cute messy bastard.

Toddlerteaplease · 09/12/2023 18:42

I stared a thread on this exact same subject a while ago. Penelope is incredibly messy with food in jelly. Food in gravy is not as bad. Their slow feeding bowls have no rims. So the dry stuff goes everywhere!

Original poster
AintNobodyHereButUsChickens · 09/12/2023 22:20

TerfTalking · 09/12/2023 18:26

Can I suggest try feeding the cat on a flat plate. Cats whiskas are very sensitive and they often don’t like small bowls.

of course it may just be a messy bastard.

Those bowls in the photo are the water bowls. Their food bowls are much shallower. But I will try plates, do you think they'll help?

OP posts:
Original poster
AintNobodyHereButUsChickens · 09/12/2023 22:21

CatChant · 09/12/2023 18:41

Try putting wipeable mats under the bowls.

That is an awfully cute messy bastard.

They are very lucky they are cute messy bastards.

Are all cats messy bastards or is it just mine?
Are all cats messy bastards or is it just mine?
OP posts:
Octavia64 · 09/12/2023 22:23

I put cardboard boxes under the bowls.

DancingFerret · 09/12/2023 22:32

That's nothing compared to the mess our three make. 😅

FormerlyPathologicallyHappy · 09/12/2023 23:09

Wet food goes on side plates, dry in soup bowls. Your cat bowls look a bit small.

MrsCatE · 10/12/2023 02:57

I would forgive all because of those gorgeous polydactyl toes!
I second PP re mats and shallow bowls.

margotrose · 10/12/2023 08:01

Shallow bowls for food - they don't like eating out of anything else in my experience.

Fuckered · 10/12/2023 08:04

Christ does that cat have a thumb?!

ProfYaffle · 10/12/2023 08:10

Yeah, we've had to put the water bowl about a metre away from the food bowl as she kept flicking bits into the water and then refused to drink it Hmm We put a mat down but it doesn't make much difference, just have to clean the mat as well as the floor!

Morechocmorechoc · 10/12/2023 08:15

Well at least it's a small mess. Ours goes outside, rolls around in any dirt they can find, esp loves sand and mud, then brings it back in the house.

kiwiaddict · 10/12/2023 08:23

I'm a cat owner and always feed cats from a plate - never a bowl because of their whiskers

If it's a bowl (even a shallow one) it gets quite painful/sensitive for them so they start dropping the food outside of the bowl

So I'm another one in the plate camp. 😊

eurochick · 10/12/2023 08:59

Fuckered · 10/12/2023 08:04

Christ does that cat have a thumb?!

😄😄😄

Grumpyoldpersonwithcats · 10/12/2023 09:02

You really would have thought that cats with thumbs could manage eating utensils properly. 🤣.
Our cats are exceedingly messy too. Newspapers under the bowls save the floor.

LadyBird1973 · 10/12/2023 09:03

Mine like to drag the wet food onto the floor and eat it from there. Luckily we have a tile floor and not carpet!

It's the litter they are most messy with - despite having litter trays with hoods and flap guards, they still manage to kick it everywhere and I'm always stepping on a piece of wood chip.
But they are cute so I think it's a fair price to pay x

Ibizabar · 10/12/2023 09:04

Mine is messy because he flicks the chunks of meat off the plate. He's fed off a nice assortment of saucers and plates from the charity shop.

Your cats are very cute OP.

Ladyof2022 · 10/12/2023 09:05

I had this exact same problem and I cured it by Simply getting a much bigger bowl with high sides, the sides are about two centimeters high. There has not been a single piece of cat food on the floor since I did this

purplehue · 10/12/2023 09:06

kiwiaddict · 10/12/2023 08:23

I'm a cat owner and always feed cats from a plate - never a bowl because of their whiskers

If it's a bowl (even a shallow one) it gets quite painful/sensitive for them so they start dropping the food outside of the bowl

So I'm another one in the plate camp. 😊

I always wondered why my cat does this. Drops the food in the floor and then eats it

FayCarew · 10/12/2023 09:09

Put a plastic tray under the bowls. Your kittens are beautiful.

KinS24 · 10/12/2023 09:11

You need a wipable mat or plastic tray. Mine are from Wilko pet section and were about £2.
Yes to plates and shallow bowls.
Also. Cats don’t like their water being near their food. Mine has his water in another corner of the house.

Grumpyoldpersonwithcats · 10/12/2023 09:15

I don't really buy the whisker argument. Clearly Sybil's mum never imparted this information to her, since she happily cleans the porridge bowl each morning and only cleans her porridge encrusted whiskers once she's finished.

Are all cats messy bastards or is it just mine?
margotrose · 10/12/2023 09:17

I don't really buy the whisker argument.

It's a well known "thing". Whiskers are really sensitive and while obviously some cats don't care, others don't like the feeling of them touching the sides of their food bowl.

I have two cats who will only eat out of shallow bowls - if I feed them from something else they'll pick it up and put it on the flat surface themselves.

fetchacloth · 10/12/2023 09:17

Your kittens are so cute 😍
All cats are messy eaters, as other pp have said use shallow bowls or small plates for food with a wipe clean mat underneath.