Do I need to be washing my cats bowls before every feeding?

[TacosAndPurritos]

I feed my kitties 3 times a day and I soak and wash the bowls with soap and water every time. Is this necessary? I've been a little overwhelmed with all the little tasks I have to do every day and I'm trying to see where I can make my life easier. It only takes a few minutes to soak and clean them but if I could get away with doing it twice a day it would be nice.

 

[Maria Bayote]

How many kittens do you have? Reason I asked is because I suggest that you have another extra food bowls so you don't have to rush on washing them every time you plan to feed. I have 4 cats with me now but I also have 8 food bowls and 3 huge water bowls.

I do not know with the others here, but I definitely wash my cats' food and water bowls with soap and water after or before feeding, and that is 3x a day as well.

 

[tabbytom]

I feed my kitties 3 times a day and I soak and wash the bowls with soap and water every time. Is this necessary? I've been a little overwhelmed with all the little tasks I have to do every day and I'm trying to see where I can make my life easier. It only takes a few minutes to soak and clean them but if I could get away with doing it twice a day it would be nice.

I wash my boy's ceramic plate after every meal with detergent, rinse well and dry and I soak the plate in hot water once a day. My boy eats numerous times a day.

It is better to wash so that bacteria won't start to grow on the remnants. And best is to use ceramic, porcelain or stainless steel plates or bowls and it is harder for these material to labor bacteria than to using plastic plates or bowls which harbor bacteria and that's how cats get feline acne.
Except for ceramic porcelain, they tend to have hairline cracks which sometimes impossible for human eyes to detect and that's where bacteria can grow if the plate or bowl is not wash and rinse and dry properly and therefore it's best to use hot water to soak them for awhile.

Since its only a few minutes of washing, why not make it a habit to do it every time and also to soak it with hot water.

Edit : It makes washing easier after every meal as if you leave it with food stains on it, it'll need a little more scrubbing and more over, it attracts ants and cockroaches and other pests and they may bring certain diseases and leave it on the plate which will be transferred over to your cat when he eats.

 

[TacosAndPurritos]

Ah okay good to know. I'm also using ceramic, and they are the very shallow dishes to keep their whiskers happy. Guess I'll keep with the program then. Thanks for the reply!

 

[di and bob]

I use those tiny foam or paper plates you get at Dollar stores or Walmart. They are tiniest yet at the dollar stores. Then you can just throw them when you are done. When you figure in the price of water, detergent, and the cost of heating the water, it is even cheaper. Water around here is getting scarce......

 

[suzeanna]

I use ceramic bowls and wash with soap every time. If you're feeling overwhelmed, I would echo one of the earlier posters and suggest getting a few more bowls. I went from using 1 bowl to keeping 2 in rotation and it feels sooo much less stressful/effortful. I should probably get a 3rd.

 

[neely]

I use ceramic bowls and wash with soap every time. If you're feeling overwhelmed, I would echo one of the earlier posters and suggest getting a few more bowls. I went from using 1 bowl to keeping 2 in rotation and it feels sooo much less stressful/effortful. I should probably get a 3rd.

I do the same thing regarding rotation especially when I load the dishwasher in case I don't take the dishes out right away. I have both ceramic and stainless steel bowls. I have a collection I've saved from different cats since each bowl reminds me of them.

 

[game misconduct]

i dont think you really need to soak the bowls if your washing them right away after your cats finish eating.i just wash graycies wet food bowl after she finishes eating just like i would my own.

 

[GoldyCat]

I usually put at least two meals in the bowls before I wash them. It's probably not the best practice, but I haven't had any cats get sick from it.

 

[TacosAndPurritos]

i dont think you really need to soak the bowls if your washing them right away after your cats finish eating.i just wash graycies wet food bowl after she finishes eating just like i would my own.

They are grazers, otherwise I would do this. Takes em a few hours to finish each meal.

 

[daftcat75]

Whether it's food bowls, fountains, or litterboxes, I find it's always easier to have spares of everything. This makes it so you can wash things on your time rather than having a furry foreman setting your schedule. Pick up the old plates and get the soak started. Prep the new plates and set them down. Come back and finish the wash of the old plates.

 

[TacosAndPurritos]

Whether it's food bowls, fountains, or litterboxes, I find it's always easier to have spares of everything. This makes it so you can wash things on your time rather than having a furry foreman setting your schedule. Pick up the old plates and get the soak started. Prep the new plates and set them down. Come back and finish the wash of the old plates.

Yep this seems like the way to do it. Going to pick up a couple more plates this week. Thanks for the advice everyone!

 

[game misconduct]

They are grazers, otherwise I would do this. Takes em a few hours to finish each meal.

graycie eats like that also