Licking is a self-soothing behaviour rather than simply a way to eat, which is why a smeared mat settles a dog waiting for the groomer just as effectively as it slows one who bolts their dinner. Having two different textures on opposite faces of the same mat means you can raise the difficulty once your pet works out the easy side, or keep one face for yoghurt and the other for something thicker.

It is moulded from food-grade silicone, which is the right material for the job. Silicone flexes, so dried-on food cracks off under a tap instead of needing a scouring pad, and it takes both the dishwasher and the freezer without going brittle or clouding. Freezing a spread mat is worth knowing about, because it turns five minutes of licking into twenty. The ridges are deep enough to hold pate, wet food or peanut butter rather than letting it wipe off in a single pass.

• Two different textured faces on one mat
• Food-grade silicone, flexible and easy to clean
• Suits wet food, yoghurt, pate or peanut butter
• Slows fast eaters and calms bath and grooming times
• Available in purple, green or red
• Packed at 24.5 by 20 by 3cm, weighing 253g

Those are packed dimensions. Two other notes: any peanut butter you use must be xylitol-free, and a pet who chews rather than licks should only use this supervised.

Who it's for: Fast eaters, anxious dogs and cats who need something absorbing during a bath, a grooming session or a quiet evening.