If that's not possible for any reason, your only option is high-quality porcelain. All other available materials have more or less serious disadvantages.
Plastic bowls very often contain harmful substances such as plasticisers. Your cat absorbs these through its water. It is also often the case that the plastic has an unpleasant odour for your cat. They are also not bite and scratch resistant - the result is germs in scratches and grooves. Plastic drinking bowls are also difficult to clean, and many absorb odours and discolour over time.
Stainless steel is the classic drinking bowl. It is durable, unbreakable and easy to clean, but beware: in most cases you don't know which alloy was used. Not all of them are truly rustproof and certainly not food-safe. Alloys with a high nickel, manganese or chromium content can also cause allergies, skin irritations and cat acne.
Melamine drinking bowls are relatively break-resistant, but not scratch-resistant. They are also easy to clean. But they contain formaldehyde. This is extremely problematic or harmful at temperatures above 70° and in acidic water – that is, with a low pH value.
Bowls made from plant fibres such as bamboo often contain a lot of plastic, usually in the form of melamine. The plant fibres are therefore mixed with resin, adhesives and often formaldehyde. It remains to be seen whether the good image is justified against the background of plastic avoidance.
With ceramic bowls, a distinction must be made between earthenware and stoneware. Provided it has a food-safe glaze, stoneware in particular is not a bad choice. Stoneware, on the other hand, is not hard or stable enough for long-term use. Although stoneware is significantly more stable than earthenware, it is still far inferior to high-quality hard porcelain in terms of impact resistance, breaking strength, splinter resistance and durability.
That's why there can only be one material for the Trinkschalen für Katzen (Drinking Bowls for CAts) by Albanine & Knuffl®: highest quality crystal glass 100% ‘Made in Germany’, food-safe – tested and certified, absolutely neutral in taste and odour and non-allergenic. For a cat's whole life.
