For Our Fur Friends
My Humphrey Bogart, a Maine Coon X, was six years old when the idea first came to me — I wanted to create the perfect cat bowl just for him. Poppy & Pepper had just launched, and I was deep in the development of a new collection, Modern Cuisine.
22 June 2025
All the cat bowls I had were either too big, too heavy, or just plain ugly. None of them met all the needs I had in mind. So I began where I always begin: research. I looked into why cats benefit from eating out of elevated vessels. Then I searched for a form — a shape that not only served its function but looked beautiful and elegant, something you couldn’t find anywhere else.
That’s when I started thinking about how ancient Chinese people used to dine. Believe it or not, the small rice bowl wasn’t always the most common dish. I came across a flat, elevated plate with a tall foot from the Sanxingdui archaeological site, and it instantly captured my imagination. It lived in my mind rent-free.
In ancient China, meals were often served on tall-footed plates at low tables — an elegant way to present food, designed to please not only the palate but the eye. This was how you dined in front of emperors. And I thought: Yes. This is exactly what I want for Humphrey.
My ceramic makers were deeply involved in the development process, from 3D sculpting to ensuring the form worked for slip casting. By the time the cat plate shape was finalised, I’d managed to tick all my boxes:
- An elevated dining experience for cats
- A shallow plate to avoid whisker fatigue
- Compact and elegant — fits in the dishwasher without taking up too much space
- Sturdy, but not too heavy
But I need more…
When we reached the painting stage, something in me cracked open. I picked up my brushes and started painting shapes, intuitively, from memory. The colour palette poured out of places I love — the fleeting sunset over Melbourne’s city skyline, the crisp morning light on the vineyards in Mornington Peninsula, my favourite place in the world: the rock pools at Sorrento back beach. And my second favourite: the glass house at the Royal Botanic Gardens.
The final touch? A clear satin glaze. Soft, creamy, and just enough to seal in all the colour underneath.
Choosing the colours was like walking through these memories. Fleeting, specific moments — only visible when you’re in the right place at the right time.
The best part of it all?
Humphrey looooooved his plates. Mama is super happy!
