Dog bowls cats can't reach in a multi-pet home

Feeding two dogs and a cat in the same space is genuinely tricky — cats are opportunistic and will absolutely eat the dogs' food given half a chance, which causes tension and can throw both species' nutrition off. The good news is that bowl height is your best tool here: a raised feeder at the right height for your dogs is simply too awkward for most cats to use comfortably. Bowl type and height also matter for the dogs themselves — raised feeders help larger breeds with posture and digestion, flat-faced breeds need shallow wide bowls, and fast eaters do much better with a slow feeder insert. Can you tell me what breeds and sizes your two dogs are, whether either has any concerns like fast eating, bloat risk, or joint issues, and what you're currently using to feed them?

That's really helpful. The bloat risk with the Lab is the most important thing to design around — fast eating and gulping air are two of the main risk factors, and a slow feeder bowl addresses both. The cat problem actually pushes you in exactly the right direction anyway: raised feeders at around 30–35cm for the Lab and 20–25cm for the Spaniel would be genuinely uncomfortable for a cat to feed from. Before I give you a specific recommendation — does the Springer have any joint or neck issues, or is she in good shape physically? And are you open to having two separate raised stations, or are you trying to keep it as one compact setup?

Perfect — two separate stations is absolutely the right call here. For the Lab, I'd go with the Outward Hound Fun Feeder slow feeder bowl placed in a raised stand at around 30cm. The Fun Feeder has a maze pattern that slows a Lab's eating down dramatically — genuinely effective for bloat risk reduction — and pairing it with a raised stand means your cat won't bother. For the Spaniel, a standard stainless bowl in a raised stand at around 20cm is all you need; the elevation alone solves the cat issue for her. The Outward Hound Fun Feeder Slo Bowl in the large size is widely available on Amazon UK and costs around £10–12 — it's the one I'd specifically recommend for the Lab. Get a separate adjustable bamboo or stainless raised stand for each dog so the heights are right for their size. That combination covers bloat risk, cat deterrence, and comfort for both dogs in one clean setup.

Most cats won't bother — they're not motivated enough to balance awkwardly on a raised stand rim when there's easier food elsewhere. It's not a guaranteed cat lock, but in practice the raised height removes the casual opportunistic eating that's your actual problem. If your cat is particularly determined, you can go one step further and feed the dogs in a room the cat doesn't have access to during mealtimes, but the majority of owners in your situation find the raised feeders alone solve it. The bigger win here is still the slow feeder for your Lab — that's the health-critical change.

Good plan. To recap: Outward Hound Fun Feeder Slo Bowl large for the Lab in a raised stand at about 30cm, and a standard stainless bowl in a raised stand at around 20cm for the Spaniel. That covers the bloat risk, the cat issue, and the size difference between your two dogs in one go. Should make mealtimes a lot calmer.