The texture does the work. Spread something soft across the grooves and a cat has to lick rather than gulp, which slows the whole meal down and helps digestion. Lick mats also calm cats, because repetitive licking is self soothing in the same way kneading is. Licking mat use before a vet trip or during fireworks gives an anxious cat something to focus on. Licker mats come in dozens of patterns but the texture matters more than the shape.

A cat mat is not one thing, which causes confusion. Cat mats sold as feeding mats are placemats: you stand a bowl on them and they catch spills. Feeding mat cat owners buy for mess are solving a different problem. This one is the opposite, you put the food directly on the surface. Mats for cats in the lick style are enrichment rather than tidiness, and feeding mat cats ignore usually turn out to be the wrong type for what the owner wanted.

Half the internet spells it differently. Licki mats, lickmat, cat lickmat, lick mats, they all mean the same textured silicone surface. The brand is LickiMat, one word, and this is the Catster, sized for a cat rather than scaled down from a dog product. At 15cm it is small by dog standards and correct for a cat, with a micro dish for anything runnier than pate.

Food-safe, non-toxic silicone, dishwasher friendly, and easy to hand-wash if you would rather. It wipes clean rather than holding smells, which matters more than it sounds with wet food. Delightfully orange, compact enough to store flat, and it suits anxious eaters and curious snackers alike. Pairs well with the rest of our cat accessories if you are building an enrichment routine.

Wet food, a lickable treat tube squeezed across the grooves, plain unsweetened yoghurt, bone broth, or wet food thinned with water. Freeze it for a version that lasts longer.

Yes, for two reasons. They slow fast eaters down, which helps digestion, and the repetitive licking is self soothing.

They help with situational stress like carriers, fireworks and visitors. They are not a treatment for genuine anxiety, which needs a vet.

Yes, from weaning, with something soft rather than solid.

The benefits of lick mat for cat use are slower eating, mental stimulation and a calmer cat during a stressful half hour. The benefits of lick mats for cats stack up most for indoor cats with little else to do.

The best cat lick mat is the one sized for a cat rather than a dog. The best lick mat for cats also has a raised edge or a dish, because anything runny slides off a flat mat.