We put a placemat in front of Harrison's food and water dish because she's a messy eater—for her it's a two step process, get the food out of the bowl and on to the floor, then eat it. We use a Tair Mercier plastic mat and it looks pretty cool. After two years it's all banged up, so I've been eying some Luisa Cevese Riedizioni placemats ($50 each) as a replacement. Of course they'd look pretty spectacular on a dining table too! Bonus points: They're handmade in Italy from recycled industrial waste.