Here's a great idea for storing your pet food and feeding your pet in the same space. Build a slide-out pet food storage box and drop in your pet's food and water bowl into fitted holes on top of the structure. The pet food will be out of the way, the dishes can't tip over or spill and your pet doesn't have to stoop all the way down to the floor to get to their food. This project accomplishes quite a lot and it's not that hard to do. Let me show you how.
What You'll Need
To get started, you'll want to determine how much food you want to store and what size bowls you want to feed from. Then you can measure up a basic rectangular box structure to house everything. Here's what you'll need:
• Plastic storage bin
• Two stainless steel bowls (one for food, one for water)
• One-inch pine board (enough to make a six-sided, rectangular box to house the food with bowls on top)
• Wood glue
• Nails
• Hammer
• Jigsaw
• Safety glasses
• Food scoop
• Four large felt furniture pads
• Paint or stain (as desired)
• Paint brush
• Decorative molding (optional)
Putting It Together
Building a basic box isn't too difficult. The trick to the design is to separate the bottom and one of the short sides of the rectangle from the rest of the box in an L-shaped structure so you can pull it out to access the food in the storage bin. I also put four large felt furniture pads on the bottom of the pull out piece so it glides easily on the floor and doesn't scratch it. Lastly, remember to build the top of the box high enough to allow the storage bin to slide in and out without hitting the bottom of the feeding bowls that sit down in the holes cut out on top of the box with your jigsaw - while wearing your safety glasses, of course.
Finishing It Up
Once you've built the basic box, you can paint or stain it any color to complement your decor. You can even add decorative molding to make it as fancy as you'd like. The main objective is to create a durable surface you can keep clean between feedings.
Keeping It Fresh
Although some people prefer to keep an open storage bin in the feeder box; I prefer to keep a cover on my pet food. It keeps the food fresh longer and insures that I won't get any pesky critters invading the food store.
Purchase a Unit
If you love the idea, but don't have the time or talent to do the woodworking, there are a number of wood artisans available to create a unit for you. A great example of carpentry and quality for a similar feeding station can be seen at on Etsy. This artisan delivers a terrific product for the money spent. Or browse woodworking shops in your area to have your unit built-to-order.
Whether you buy it or build it, a feeding station is a nice way to store food and feed your pet in a nice, attractive package.
