# I so dislike washing cat plates



## 21Rouge (Jul 20, 2013)

We have 3 cats and we do not free feed. I feed them 3 times per day wet food so three times a day I must wash 3 plates/bowls. Am I the only one who really dislikes doing this? (I am tempted to be lazy and use recyclable paper plates).


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## librarychick (May 25, 2008)

I use our regular plates. They go in the dishwasher with everything else.


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## MowMow (Nov 6, 2010)

Ditto. 3 bowls 3x a day = 9 bowls per day. Plus 3 spoons each day.

I do mine in the dishwasher, but it still grates on me sometimes. I do dishes once a day and the majority in each load are cat dishes. I have a fork, a plate, a cup, and MAYBE a spoon.


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## cat owner again (Dec 14, 2012)

Sometimes I feel that way but I have a bunch of them. I am ashamed to admit I am using pie tins and sometimes little glass bowls. The bowls can go in the dishwasher but not the other.


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## ezmeray (Nov 8, 2012)

My parent's house doesn't have a dishwasher, and Sassy gets fed like 6 or so times a day (she's spoiled and is fed small meals on demand more or less), same as Peace before her. We always just gathered all the dishes (designated glass or metal cat dishes) up at the end of doing dishes in the evening, and after washing all the people dishes, simply submerge them in the water, drain the water, and then just let them soak with the soapy water remaining in the bowls, and returning later to basically just rinse them out. It's super quick/easy. I'm not sure how they'd go about it with an electric dishwasher.


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## doodlebug (May 13, 2006)

It's been driving my crazy too...it seems there are always cat and dog dishes in the sink soaking. My dishwasher only gets run about once every 6-7 days, so they get hand washed the rest of the time. They don't really fit well anyway.

So...I just bought a dozen cheap white plates that will fit nicely into the dishwasher. I haven't starting using them yet...tomorrow I need to take the price labels off them. If they work out well, I'll figure out the optimum number to have so that I can just use the dishwasher and buy I'll more if I need to.


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## Mochas Mommy (Dec 9, 2013)

We have a separate scrubber for cat dishes, bottles of vinegar and hydrogen peroxide, and three stainless steel plates. 3x/day the kittens are fed and they know to eat then. When all three leave the food area, the dishes are picked up and rinsed, scrubbed, and disinfected right away. The water dishes are washed with our dinner dishes. Once a week, the dishwasher goes on and everything goes through. Do I enjoy doing cat dishes three times a day....not really, but I love my babies so ..... If only I could teach them to wash their dishes instead of just play in the water!


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## Marmoset (Feb 18, 2014)

Yeah it's not fun but it's still easier to clean dishes for two cats than it would be for two husbands.


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## 10cats2dogs (Jun 16, 2013)

Marmoset said:


> Yeah it's not fun but it's still easier to clean dishes for two cats than it would be for two husbands.


You got that right!! 
( even 10 cats...!)


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## Mochas Mommy (Dec 9, 2013)

Shuddering at the thought of two husbands..


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## cat face (Apr 4, 2013)

We use stainless everything. It's kind of like a correctional facility's cafeteria at wash up lol

I do a 'total' wash up of water bowls, breakfast dishes and left over dish that held some treats for them the previous evening.

Then at brunch, lunch and supper, the plates are licked clean by the users, I rinse with hot water and store till next meal.

Next day, a total wash starts all over again. It's just part of the day, to me, don't notice it tbh. (shrugs) 

Like has been said, and I TOTALLY agre with, FAR better than multiple husbands dishes!! (faints at that thought)


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## Marcia (Dec 26, 2010)

I bought a whole gaggle of ceramic plates from the thrift store. They were actually appetizer plates but they work great. I just rinse and put them in the dishwasher and take them out reuse and repeat. We run our dishwasher about every other day (I'm not a big cook) and I have plenty of plates so it's no issue. You can buy saucers or small bowls, just buy a bunch of them. Recycle those glasses grandma gave you to make space. You never really liked them anyways.


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## Greenport ferals (Oct 30, 2010)

I have 10 cats to feed. I use paper plates, about 8 of them per day. I really don't like the smell and mess of wet food. I'm a vegetarian and the process of washing plates, even separately, just didn't work. In fact, I feed my cats outside if weather permits.


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## howsefrau32 (Mar 6, 2013)

My sister uses paper plates, not the flimsy plain white ones, but ones that are heavier. I am always amazed at how her cats manage to eat everything without scooting the plate around the floor, but they do it. I've never tried it, but I am very tired of cleaning them out too. I hand wash them all week long and then once a week I run them through the dishwasher.


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## jking (Feb 22, 2014)

I use stainless steel dishes and cat food spoons. They all go in the dishwasher. I really like the spoons. Before I was using disposable plastic spoons for the cat food.

Whisker City® Cat Spoon | Storage & Scoops | PetSmart


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## MowMow (Nov 6, 2010)

I'veẁ thought about hitting the restaurant supply store and getting a gigantic bag of paper bowls, but it makes me feel guilty and wasteful to be that ....un-green.


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## ezmeray (Nov 8, 2012)

MowMow said:


> I'veẁ thought about hitting the restaurant supply store and getting a gigantic bag of paper bowls, but it makes me feel guilty and wasteful to be that ....un-green.


Yeah that's definitely my issue with the thought us using paper plates/bowls, when with just a a bit of effort, and routine, it can be avoided. 

Also, polyandry (more than one husband) is very much a thing, and while polyandrous societies have never been as common as polygyny (more than one wife), it was more common, particularly Tibet, in the past and still is practiced in small societies in the world (annnnd thank you society minor for that info.. : )


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## Gandalf&Endor (Jun 9, 2014)

My kitties use stainless steel bowls and I wash them 3 times a day. It's no hardship for me. I don't like leaving dirty dishes around. Plus I don't want them to get sick eating from uncleaned bowls.


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## Mandy and Ellie (Oct 22, 2013)

Ugh... I hate it, too! Especially since Ellie likes grazing on her wet food... sometimes for hours. So when I go pick it up, sometimes the food is gross/stuck on the plate. Blech... so I soak them in the sink, then rinse and in the dishwasher. But seriously... it uses up my dishes to the point I was running the dishwasher every single day or I wouldn't have enough dishes for myself lol. It's just a hassle since a lot of days I have work, school, and just a ton of things to do... if I can avoid a ton of dishes, I gladly will. But I like saving money so paper plates are kind of a waste...

But... lately I've been bad and bought cheap paper plates at Dollar Tree. Life has been so much easier haha. They're the pretty flimsy ones but they do the job, and the food doesn't soak through them on the floor... so I'm happy!


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## DarylCat (Oct 12, 2014)

I only have one cat so it's not so bad, but I handwash my dishes so I can relate. I have some mismatched saucer plates that I bought at various flea markets, dollar stores, etc. that I use for the cat (they were previously my guinea pig veggie platters). I like the paper plate idea! :thumb


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## MowMow (Nov 6, 2010)

I do think next month while my mom is visiting i'll go the paper plate route for all of us. Less cleanup all around and I won't have to hear any lectures about having too many cats to take care of.

I'm so OCD about how I keep my apartment that company exhausts me. I'm constantly tidying, fixing things, and putting things back where they belong. Paper plates will be one less thing to drive me nuts.
Who knows, maybe i'll love it so much I'll stick with it.


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## Mandy and Ellie (Oct 22, 2013)

MowMow said:


> I'm so OCD about how I keep my apartment that company exhausts me. I'm constantly tidying, fixing things, and putting things back where they belong. Paper plates will be one less thing to drive me nuts.


Ugh, this is SO me. Even if my apartment is looking nice, the second I know someone is coming over I have to make my apartment meticulous or I'm super stressed out... and if company stays, I'm obsessed with keeping things tidy. It's mentally exhausting lol. It doesn't help my mom can be a bit of a nitpicker... :-?


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## 10cats2dogs (Jun 16, 2013)

MowMow, 
You can ALWAYS tell your mom, it could be worse....you can use me, as an example!!


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## MowMow (Nov 6, 2010)

My mom USED to be that way. Now I follow her around and pick up after her. Little things like leaving a pen on the coffee table. No big deal right? Not with 3 cats. That pen disappears and she spends an hour looking for it.

Leave your teacup with the bag in it in the sink, no big deal? Until Book or Neelix drags it off and spreads damp tea grinds all over the beige carpet.....

My pet peeve is the couch. I rarely use it so it stays perfect. I have a blanket and pillows on it just so. She'll sit down and tug the blanket down around her and shove the pillows over..... OCD me has to tidy it each time she gets up. 

Crumbs on the counter or in the sink is another pet peeve. I'm constantly wiping off the counter.

She tries to help with things like laundry and dishes then I follow her and put things back where they belong.

It's funny since growing up that's how she was...... no she's messy and I'm always following her around.


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