3D Printed Slow Feeder
The decision to design my own slow feeder for Zeus came about when he began vomiting more frequently out of nowhere. There was no sign of hair or any other object in his vomit. I kept a watchful eye over him for the next few days and noticed that he would always vomit soon after eating. (Zeus is fed two meals a day.) I hadn’t changed his feed recently and had no reason to believe that his behaviour was due to his diet, so I began feeding him his kibble using his treat ball. This forced him to eat at a much slower pace and the vomiting stopped. His treat ball can only hold one third to one half of his regular meal portion, meaning I have to stick around to refill the ball. Thus, I went searching for alternatives.
I knew slow feeders and puzzle feeders exist, but I had mostly only seen them be used by dogs. While they serve the same purpose for cats, you want to look for one that has shallower grooves since cats have shorter snouts. There is a wide variety of slow feeders, including collapsible bowls or silicone mats. Below are photos of some of my favourite designs, linked to their posting on Amazon. Most of these bowls range from below $10 to just over $20!
The reason why I designed and 3D printed my own bowl was due to the fact that Zeus already has an elevated wooden feeder with large ceramic bowls. So I decided to make him one that would fit inside the large bowl. I have attached the Solidworks (2019) file below. The feeder was printed using PLA. Though this material is already considered food-safe, I was concerned that the sanding process would create crevices that made it difficult to clean. Thus, it was coated with Alumilite to create a seal.
Modifications
My initial design had grooves that were too deep for Zeus to reach between, and this was made even more difficult since I had more grooves for him to eat around. When I modified it, I shortened all the walls and removed one of the center grooves. However, I think the grooves are now just a tad too shallow. While it still serves its purpose, the grooves could be increased in height to force him to eat even slower if necessary.
Slow Feeder Examples
Collapsible slow feeders are a great design for those of you that travel frequently with your pet. Zeus likes to go on walks or to the park and we fly at least a couple of times a year, so I always carry a collapsible bowl on our adventures. Silicone mats are a great material choice particularly for feeding wet food since the grooves are flexible and will make cleaning and washing the bowl a lot easier. Otherwise, the shape of the slow feeder is entirely the decision of you and your pet’s preferences!
Below are a few examples. Click the images to see their postings on Amazon Canada!
