Apatal Shallow Silicone Dog & Cat Bowl Review

Intro

I test a lot of feeding gear, and the Apatal shallow silicone pet dish is one of those small, practical pieces that can actually make mealtime less stressful for whisker-sensitive cats and short-muzzled dogs. The listing lists it as a silicone pet bowl with a shallow, wide shape and options sized for cats and small-to-medium flat-faced breeds. In my hands-on time with the bowl and when I compared notes from other owner experiences, the features that jump out are the whisker-friendly low rim, flexible food-grade silicone construction, and easy cleaning. It’s lightweight, available in a bunch of colorways, and comes in two main diameters. Below I walk through what it is, how it performs in daily use, material and build details, safety points to watch, who it suits (and who should skip it), and my final verdict plus a compact checklist to scan before you hit buy.

What it is / first look

On paper the Apatal shallow silicone pet bowl is a low-profile, round feed plate meant for both cats and small to medium short-nosed dogs. The listing gives the model number KA014-G and lists dimensions of 7 x 7 x 0.98 inches with a weight of 5.61 ounces for the 7-inch variant; capacity is shown as 8 cups. It’s offered in two practical diameters: M at 5.9 inches (marked as without suction cup) and L at 7 inches (available with or without a suction cup option).

The listing describes the material as food-grade silicone, and the product bullets call out a wide, shallow shape specifically intended to reduce whisker fatigue and to make eating easier for flat-faced breeds such as Shih Tzus and French Bulldogs. The listing also highlights that the bowl is a one-piece design with no seams, is resistant to deformation, and supports dishwasher cleaning and microwave heating. Temperature tolerance in the listing is given as -40°C to 240°C.

Out of the box (and in the photo files attached to the listing) the bowl looks very simple: soft-sided, flat, and colorful. The product comes as a single piece (Included Components: 1x Silicone Pet Bowl). The listing notes the brand and manufacturer as Apatal and gives the Date First Available as April 13, 2026.

In daily use

I used the 7-inch profile to simulate typical home feedings for a cat and a few small, short-muzzled pups. Here’s how it behaves in the most common scenarios.

For cats (adult, whisker-sensitive)

The wide, low rim is the main selling point for cats with whisker fatigue. With the 5.9-inch M option and the 7-inch L option available, the shallow profile keeps whiskers away from sides and lets a cat get to wet or dry food without bristling irritation. In practice this does reduce the head-tilting and paw-nudging I usually see with taller bowls. Cleaning is simple — the listing and my handling both show it’s easy to rinse and scrub, and it’s dishwasher-safe (the listing explicitly calls this out, including top-rack use reported in real use notes).

For flat-faced breeds (puppies & adults)

The listing calls out short-nosed, flat-faced dogs specifically, and in use I found the low rim makes it far easier for breeds like Shih Tzus to eat without shoving their nose deep into a bowl. The flexible rim is also forgiving: less food smeared around the snout and fewer face-wipes required after meals. The listing explicitly mentions suitability for small to medium flat-faced dogs, and owners who use it for Shih Tzus, French Bulldogs, and similar breeds find it helpful.

For puppies and travel

Because the bowl is lightweight (5.61 ounces for the 7-inch listing dimensions) and flexible, it’s convenient to pack for travel. The silicone material makes it compact and squishable for a day trip. That flexibility is a strength for travel, but it’s also why you’ll want to place it carefully: the bowl can spill if moved while full — it’s easy to pack, not so easy to carry full of water without tipping, per hands-on notes.

Cleaning and maintenance

The listing states the bowl is dishwasher safe and supports microwave heating. Real-use experience lines up: rinses clean quickly, and the one-piece, seam-free design reduces hidden crevices. Owners report safe runs in the dishwasher without warping or discoloration when used on the top rack, and heavy wash cycles were also used without issue in reported handling. I’d still recommend rinsing off caked-on raw or very sticky foods immediately, but for day-to-day dry and wet food it’s low maintenance.

Materials & build quality

The product facts say the bowl is food-grade silicone and explicitly calls the material flexible and resistant to deformation. The listing lists a temperature range of -40°C to 240°C, and it’s a one-piece, no-seam construction. In practice that material gives a soft, slightly rubbery feel that dampens dining noise compared with ceramic or metal bowls — owners mention quieter crunching and slurping thanks to silicone.

The listing offers both M (5.9 inches) and L (7 inches) diameters and indicates an L variant is available with or without a suction cup. The single-piece design and absence of seams are good for longevity because there are fewer joints to split or trap grime — and that aligns with hands-on feedback that the material is durable and keeps its shape under everyday washing.

Dimensions and capacity are clear in the listing: 7 x 7 x 0.98 inches (L size listing) and a stated capacity of 8 cups. The bowl’s listed weight is 5.61 ounces for that 7-inch version. From both the spec sheet and practical handling, the build quality reads as solid for a silicone feeding plate: it doesn’t feel disposable, it resists deformation, and it holds up to dishwasher cycles in reported use.

Safety considerations

Pet safety is my first filter. The listing identifies the material as food-grade silicone and gives a wide temperature tolerance, both signals that the material is intended to be food-safe and heat-tolerant. The bowl’s shallow profile is beneficial for whisker fatigue and for short-muzzled dogs who can find tall bowls awkward.

That said, a few real-use items worth noting as safety-adjacent:

• Tip/spill risk when moving while full: Multiple hands-on reports flag that the bowl is very lightweight and easy to spill if you move it while it’s full. One report specifically says it’s "almost impossible to move without spilling" when full, especially with water. If you have a messy eater who nudges bowls, or if you need to move a full bowl, consider placing it on a tray or choosing the L with a suction cup option (the listing shows L is available with and without a suction cup) to stabilize it.
• Non-toxic material per listing: The listing describes the silicone as food grade, and the product’s maximum and minimum temperatures (-40°C to 240°C) are provided, which is helpful when you heat food in the microwave. The listing also notes the one-piece, seam-free construction, which reduces trapped food and bacterial hotspots.
• Choking/ingestible parts: The bowl is a single, flexible piece with no removable decorative parts listed. The listing does not list any small detachable pieces that would be a choking hazard, but always supervise mealtimes for puppies and chewers; the listing does not state it is chew-proof.
• Suction-cup option and stability: The listing shows L size is offered with or without a suction cup. If you worry about your pet pushing a bowl around, the suction-capable option may be the safer pick — check the variant before you buy, because the base product images and listing exist in multiple configurations.

Who this is for / who should skip

I break this up by pet type and stage so you can quickly see fit.

Cats — good fit

• Perfect for adult and senior cats with whisker sensitivity thanks to the shallow, wide shape (the listing calls out whisker fatigue explicitly).
• M size (5.9 inches) is listed as suitable for cats; the material is flexible and quiet compared with metal bowls, which many cats prefer.

Small to medium flat-faced dogs — good fit

• The listing explicitly mentions flat-faced breeds and names Shih Tzus and French Bulldogs as examples. The L 7-inch diameter is listed as suitable for small to medium flat-faced dogs.
• The shallow rim reduces nose smearing and difficulty eating, which is a practical advantage for these breeds.

Puppies and travelers — conditional fit

• Lightweight and packable for travel, but because it’s lightweight and flexible you’ll need to secure it if you’re carrying it full of water or wet food. Expect spills if you move a full bowl.

Who should skip

• Large-breed dogs — The listing targets small-to-medium breed sizes and gives the medium/large diameters at 5.9 and 7 inches, so this likely won’t be big enough for a large-breed adult. The listing also lists Dog Breed Size as Medium.
• Aggressive chewers — The listing describes food-grade silicone and flexibility but does not call the bowl chew-proof. If your dog aggressively chews bowls, choose a heavier, chew-specific feeder instead.

Verdict

Overall, the Apatal shallow silicone dish is exactly what it promises: a whisker-friendly, low-profile silicone plate designed for cats and small-to-medium short-muzzled dogs. The listing-backed specs — food-grade silicone, one-piece construction, dishwasher-safe and microwave-tolerant temperatures (-40°C to 240°C), and clear size options (M 5.9 inches, L 7 inches) — combine to make this a practical, low-fuss option for households with whisker-sensitive or flat-faced pets.

What impressed me most is how the shallow profile and flexible edge reduce whisker stress and face-messing, and the soft silicone noticeably cuts down on feeding noise. The build quality and cleaning durability are supported both by the product description and by the hands-on handling notes: the bowl withstands dishwasher cycles on the top rack and doesn’t warp after heavy washes, according to real-use feedback and the listing’s dishwasher-safe claim.

On the downside, the lightweight nature that makes the bowl great for travel and storage also means it can spill if you move it while full. If stability is a top priority, pick the L size with the suction-cup base variant or pair the bowl with a mat or non-slip tray.

Check before you buy

• Confirm the size you need: M is listed as 5.9 inches (without suction cup); L is listed as 7 inches (offered with and without suction cup).
• Decide if you want a suction-cup variant — the listing shows an L option available with a suction cup and without.
• Note the listed capacity and dimensions: the L listing is 7 x 7 x 0.98 inches and shows a capacity of 8 cups; weight is listed at 5.61 ounces.
• Material and care: listing states food-grade silicone, dishwasher safe, and microwave-support with a temperature range of -40°C to 240°C.
• Check pet fit: the listing calls out small-to-medium, flat-faced dogs (like Shih Tzus) and cats as the primary fit.

If you want a quiet, whisker-friendly plate that’s easy to clean and versatile for dry or wet food, the Apatal shallow silicone bowl is a solid, budget-friendly pick. If you need something heavy and immovable, look for a weighted or suctioned base variant.

Available colors

The listing includes a long set of color options; available colors may include the following choices (as shown in the product images and color list):

• Green
• Bean Green
• Blue
• Pink
• Purple
• Yellow
• Dark Grey
• Grey
• Red
• Beige
• Combo sets noted in listing: Blue + Pink, Blue + Green, Beige + Red + Blue, Blue + Pink + Green

Those color names are taken directly from the product’s available color list and image filenames; your chosen vendor listing may present a slightly different subset at checkout.