How to Stop a Dog From Spilling Food and Water – Neater Feeder Review

Neater feeder review – stop a dog from spilling water!

Is your dog a messy eater? A sloppy drinker?

When my mutt Ace drinks water, some always falls down his jowls. He then walks away from his bowl with strings of drool hanging down like shoelaces. Without a doubt, he shakes the drool onto the nearest person, wall or laptop screen – every time.

I fostered a Lab named Dora (she got adopted!), and although Dora didn’t have a drooling problem, she had a spilling problem.

Half the water from Dora’s mouth would fall onto the floor. There would literally be standing water around her bowls (not fun to step in). I placed towels under the bowls, but I had to switch them out every day because they were always saturated.

Luckily I don’t have a dog who drops food everywhere, but many dog owners have to deal with that, too!

So … enter the Neater Feeder.

Let’s be honest, I would never buy a product like this. However, Neater Feeder (affiliate link) contacted me, and I figured I could actually use this product. The company sent one over at no cost in exchange for a review.

First I will tell you what the company claims about its product. Then I will tell you how well it worked for my crew.

What is the Neater Feeder?

The Neater Feeder is an elevated pet-bowl stand designed to hold spilled food in an upper reservoir while spilled water flows into a lower reservoir, according to the company. The lower reservoir can safely contain more than an entire bowl of spilled water.

The stand is also meant to be sturdy enough to prevent excited pets from knocking over the bowls, according to NeaterFeeder.com. Eating from an elevated stand also helps with digestion.

Does the Neater Feeder actually catch spilled food and water?

Yes, the Neater Feeder works for what it is designed to do.

1. It contains spilled food.

This is not a problem at our house. Ace does not spill his food, and if any crumbs happen to drop, our crazy cat Beamer is right there to clean it up. If Ace were to spill his food, though, the Neater Feeder would definitely catch it for easy cleanup.

2. It contains spilled/splashed water.

The high sides on the top reservoir catch any water the pet spills. The Neater Feeder will also catch some of the drool while a dog is still above the stand or moving from the water bowl to the food bowl.

It won’t be able to catch any of the drool still hanging from your dog when he walks away from the stand, obviously.

3. It’s easy to clean.

The Neater Feeder is very easy to clean. Just dump the bottom reservoir out as needed and wipe the top reservoir with a paper towel or rag. If you wanted to clean the entire product in the sink every few weeks, that would be pretty easy to do, even with the large size.

4. Excited pets won’t knock the bowls over.

Excited eaters will push their bowls around the floor, often spilling everywhere. I am blessed with a very hungry tabby cat who will frantically inhale food and then lick all the other pets’ bowls after each meal. He’s been known to push bowls off ledges and break them. He will also push the dog bowls around the floor as he’s searching for every last crumb. Drives me crazy.

So, although I can’t say whether or not the Neater Feeder would stand up to a food-obsessed Lab or great dane, it has definitely stopped my nutty, 15-pound cat from moving bowls around. The Neater Feeder is pretty lightweight, but also sturdy. When it’s placed in a corner, it’s not easy for a dog to move or tip. If needed, you could easily put extra weight in the bottom reservoir.

Who should use the Neater Feeder?

Any dog that slops water everywhere while drinking is a good candidate for the Neater Feeder. I’m thinking dogs with “beards” or jowls or any dog that tends to slop or spill.

This product would be good for anyone who worries about water damage on the floor beneath the pet’s bowl. I know our floor has taken a beating from Ace’s water over the last four years. If you want to keep your floor dry, this product is for you.

Are there any problems with the Neater Feeder?

Not really.

The stand is ugly, though. I received the silver/brown color variety and if I had a convenient area to keep it out of eyesight, I would. The red and tan option is more attractive to me, and hopefully the company will design additional options. Most people seem to keep their dog bowls in the kitchen in plain sight. People will be more likely to buy this product if they think it will match their kitchens.

The price seems a bit high to me (around $65 for the large stand). Most people probably aren’t going to pay that much (I wouldn’t). However, if you have to clean up spilled water every single day like I had to do with Dora, this product is definitely worth it.

The product won’t actually prevent spills

Just so we’re clear, the Neater Feeder will not train a dog to stop spilling. It simply catches the dog’s spills, keeping food and water off your floor.

More about Neater Feeder

The Neater Feeder comes in small, medium and large. Each size also has leg extensions if you want to raise the height a bit. There is also a size for cats. All stands come with a water bowl and a food bowl.

The product sells for around $65 for the large stand and $30 to $35 for the small size.

The Neater Feeder is very easy to put together. It is simply one piece of plastic on top of another. It’s sturdy, easy to clean and each size comes with leg extensions if you want to easily raise the stand a bit higher. I decided Ace didn’t need the extensions.

Does your pet spill his food or water? Have you tried this product?

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Some pets may prefer a water fountain – see my review of the PetSafe Drinkwell pet water fountain