Oblong

    When Harry was an outside cat, I gave him water in a big plastic bowl. I know this is a no-no, but I didn't figure on him being out there as long as he turned out to be. He seemed to cope OK though. How he did was that he tipped the bowl on the side. Heck, I didn't even know the bowl had a side. At first I thought he was being petulant, but he did it consistently, so he must have been bringing the water down to a more easily reached level.
    When I brought him inside, I tried to find something that would approximate the surface he had created by tipping the plastic bowl. I found an oblong ceramic bowl and put water in it, also putting out water in regular cereal bowls in other parts of the house. The kitties drank it dry. Almost every day. I love my kitties but it made me slightly crazy that this cheap Chinese ceramic bowl had somehow been marked up to $7. But you know, the kitties know best. So I went out looking for two more and wouldn't you know? I couldn't find them. Today, however, I went to PetSmart and there they were, a little cutesy-poo, maybe, but unquestionably oblong and ceramic. Let's see 'em drink three bowls dry!