If your cat has ever come up with a rash of black specks under the chin, the bowl is the first thing a vet will ask about. Soft plastic scratches, the scratches hold grease and bacteria, and the chin sits in it at every meal. Melamine is the inexpensive fix, because it is hard enough that a tongue and a dishwasher do not score it, leaving nothing for the grime to hide in.

This one carries a medallion pattern with paw-print detailing, and that is a small thing that makes a real difference in a house with more than one animal. A bowl you can tell apart at a glance is a bowl that stays with the right pet, which matters a great deal if one of them is on a prescription diet. Underneath the pattern the melamine is BPA-free, shatter-free and chip-proof in ordinary use, and the base is finished anti-slip.

• Medallion pattern with paw-print accents
• 13.2 cm diameter, 90 g
• Shatter-free, chip-resistant melamine
• BPA-free and food safe
• Dishwasher friendly
• Anti-slip base
• Suitable for indoor and outdoor mealtimes

On portions. At 13.2 cm across, this is a saucer rather than a dinner bowl. It holds a cat's meal or a small dog's comfortably, but a large dog's evening feed will be over the sides. Buy on the size of the meal rather than the size of the animal: a spaniel on wet food is fine, the same spaniel on a full measure of kibble is not.

Who it's for: Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, Bichon Frisés, Pugs, and Domestic Shorthair and Persian cats, particularly in multi-pet homes where telling the bowls apart is useful.