The Lickimat from Sharples Pet won a New Product Award at PATS Telford in September, and already it has had a big impact in pet stores.

Lickimat Boredom Busters are designed to enhance a pet’s environment as well as benefiting its health. 

Lickimats are designed as tasty boredom busters for a cat or dog. By spreading a pet's favourite soft treat over the surface, an owner can create a tasty fun game with them having to seek out every morsel with their tongue.

Owners can freeze treats in the summer for a refreshing, longer lasting entertainment. They also work well as a slow feeder for cats.

Here are some of the benefits of the Lickimat:

• Repetitive licking is soothing for your pet, releasing calming the hormone cortisol into the body
• Medical free way to promote calm behaviour in your pet while home alone or during stressful times, like storms or fireworks, also great for calming pets before a procedure/treatment at the vets or groomers
• No over feeding because Lickimat makes a small tasty treat last longer
• Licking enhances the sense of taste, allowing pet to enjoy just a small amount of food
• Helps promote fresh breath by scraping off bacteria and undigested food particles from the tongue
• Stimulates saliva production and helps clean tongue, teeth and gums
• Saliva production can aid digestion as it contains enzymes like Amylase

For fun pet interaction three designs are available.

• Lickimat Buddy, (the most popular design), with its cross maze design, is perfect for trapping chunky treats like mushy meat or fish. 
• Lickimat Soother, with its raised bumpy design, is perfect for runny treats like yoghurt or gravy
• Lickimat Playdate, with its square pocket design, is perfect for trapping chunky treats like mushy meat or fish.

The New Product Award judges commented: “We liked the versatility of this product, and the fact there wasn’t any unnecessary packaging.”