I wouldn't claim that my cat is the messiest eater in the world, but he's definitely the messiest eater I've ever seen! Since the day we got him, 13 years ago, he's always left a ring of kibble crumbs around his bowl. It only got worse a few years ago when he had to get one of his big bottom teeth pulled.
We've tried various clean-up/containment "solutions" over the years. First it was a towel, which he would just bunch up and end up dragging over his bowl (at which point he'd get upset because he couldn't figure out how to get to his food again). Then I got a silicone mat, which...sort of worked - the problem was that the cat's mess expanded beyond the parameters of the mat, and any attempt to relocate the bowl on the mat to account for this resulted in the cat simply pulling the bowl closer to the edge and/or just not crunching on his kibbles while standing on the mat. So we decided on a more obvious containment option: a plastic bin. It's like a 2'x3' underbed-style bin, so the edges aren't that high, but it's enough of an obstacle that the cat is more likely to eat within the box rather than take any kibbles out to eat. It's a solution that's done pretty much what we wanted it to.
However! The spot that his "dining room" is in isn't a huge amount of space, and I'm looking into something a little sturdier that I'd be able to add maybe a scratching post and a bed on top of it. Obviously the simplest solution is to just buy an end table that'll fit over the bin, but the bin itself is something I'd like to upgrade, since the flexible bottom "pops" as the cat gets in and out.
My idea is basically what you'd get by sticking an end table in a cardboard tray that fits the legs into the corners of the tray, and it's something I may be able to build for myself if I had the right tools...but I don't, so my next best option seems to be finding a sturdy tray and a table with compatible dimensions. I'm just...not really sure where to look for such a tray, whether it's wood, particle board, plastic, or whatever - my only requirements are that the edges aren't too high and the bottom is completely flat.
Possible alternatives I've considered and discarded:
- a kitty litter "hideaway" - the idea is close to what I want, but the cat is a social eater, and I'm afraid he'll be less inclined to eat if he's unable to see where we are (plus, the enclosed nature of these hideaways wouldn't give me the visual cue to refill the food reservoir)
- a kennel/crate - most lack a flat bottom and/or a removable door, and I'm not entirely sure the cat would take well to eating in a cage; I have seen more "furniture-style" crates that seem promising, but since their function is to be an enclosure, the doors are usually even more locked into the construction than a wire crate's is, and I'm not keen on spending good money on something I'd have to remodel myself anyway
So I'm wondering if anybody has either a) any ideas of where to look to find the right components for something like this, or b) any alternative ideas to accomplish a custom vertical "cat condo".
We've tried various clean-up/containment "solutions" over the years. First it was a towel, which he would just bunch up and end up dragging over his bowl (at which point he'd get upset because he couldn't figure out how to get to his food again). Then I got a silicone mat, which...sort of worked - the problem was that the cat's mess expanded beyond the parameters of the mat, and any attempt to relocate the bowl on the mat to account for this resulted in the cat simply pulling the bowl closer to the edge and/or just not crunching on his kibbles while standing on the mat. So we decided on a more obvious containment option: a plastic bin. It's like a 2'x3' underbed-style bin, so the edges aren't that high, but it's enough of an obstacle that the cat is more likely to eat within the box rather than take any kibbles out to eat. It's a solution that's done pretty much what we wanted it to.
However! The spot that his "dining room" is in isn't a huge amount of space, and I'm looking into something a little sturdier that I'd be able to add maybe a scratching post and a bed on top of it. Obviously the simplest solution is to just buy an end table that'll fit over the bin, but the bin itself is something I'd like to upgrade, since the flexible bottom "pops" as the cat gets in and out.
My idea is basically what you'd get by sticking an end table in a cardboard tray that fits the legs into the corners of the tray, and it's something I may be able to build for myself if I had the right tools...but I don't, so my next best option seems to be finding a sturdy tray and a table with compatible dimensions. I'm just...not really sure where to look for such a tray, whether it's wood, particle board, plastic, or whatever - my only requirements are that the edges aren't too high and the bottom is completely flat.
Possible alternatives I've considered and discarded:
- a kitty litter "hideaway" - the idea is close to what I want, but the cat is a social eater, and I'm afraid he'll be less inclined to eat if he's unable to see where we are (plus, the enclosed nature of these hideaways wouldn't give me the visual cue to refill the food reservoir)
- a kennel/crate - most lack a flat bottom and/or a removable door, and I'm not entirely sure the cat would take well to eating in a cage; I have seen more "furniture-style" crates that seem promising, but since their function is to be an enclosure, the doors are usually even more locked into the construction than a wire crate's is, and I'm not keen on spending good money on something I'd have to remodel myself anyway
So I'm wondering if anybody has either a) any ideas of where to look to find the right components for something like this, or b) any alternative ideas to accomplish a custom vertical "cat condo".
