My cat has 'owned' several forks and spoons over her lifespan, most of which have the same sort of 'combination design' comprising of what can only be described as a spoon shaped fork. Whilst shopping in a local branch of Pets At Home about a year ago, I purchased their own-branded "Feeding Fork" and paid about £1.50 at the time of purchase.

Available in a variety of colours according to the store's website at www.petsathome.co.uk, there was actually only one colour available on the day I was shopping in store, which was white/cream.

Made of thick white/cream plastic, there is a cute little 'paw print' design at the top of the long handle on this particular fork, although I am fairly certain that another fork owned by my girl was near identical to this one except it had a little cartoon cat image detailed on the handle rather than a paw print, so I do believe that these forks are available from different retailers in a variety of designs.

This ' fork part' of the item is identical to other forks, thanks to it having the familiar "three-pronged" design. The right hand prong is curved and looks like the edge of a spoon which I believe is to aid the process of spooning food from a tin. The middle prong is a triangular shape, although it is not particularly sharp, whilst the left hand prong is an oblong shape. The fork's assortment of prongs are apparently "Designed for the unique shape of tins and pouches, with extra wide prongs to ensure no food is wasted" according to the store's website.

My experience of using this plastic feeding fork is that it works very well in scooping cat food from all items of packaging, whether the food in question is contained in a tin, an upright 'pouch' or in one of the flat foil 'trays.'

The curved design that the right hand side of the fork has makes it work like a spoon when needed, which makes it ideal for using with food that is contained - and served - in thick gravy. The Pets At Home Feeding Fork works well at scooping the food from the container and holds it better than a regular fork would, thanks to the prongs being much wider - and the subsequent spaces between them being smaller. This ensures that surplus gravy or small food particles are not allowed to slip between the prongs which causes excess mess.

The Feeding Fork is made of a durable plastic which seems fairly robust and allows for a good grip to be maintained during feeding time, even if my hands are wet. According to the store's website, the fork is "Made from tough non-toxic plastic" which I would agree with, given the fact that I have used this plastic fork for around a year and there is very little in the way of wear and tear evident. Also, due to the robust material of the fork, it would strike me as being a suitable implement for more robust food such as some brands of dog food, which can carry a very thick texture and be extremely meaty. I wouldn't have thought that the Pets At Home fork would struggle to cope with 'heavier' foodstuffs or meatier meals.

The fork may well be dishwasher safe, but I have not tried this myself and find that a little spot of washing up liquid with some hot water and a soft cloth or sponge will clean the fork perfectly, leaving it completely clean.

The measurements of the fork may not be entirely relevant, except perhaps for the length to ensure it is large enough (or small enough!) to fit comfortably into the hands of fellow consumers. The fork's length is around 19 cm which I find makes it comfortable to use, without feeling cumbersome or becoming too bulky to store away in a drawer.

The current price for the Pets At Home Feeding Fork is £1.59. You can buy directly in-store, or you can order Pets At Home products at their website (www.pets at home.com), where you will pay £4.95 for delivery costs unless your order totals £29 or more, when these charges are waived. Pets At Home also offer a "Click & Collect" service, where you can reserve items online and pay for them in-store. (Info as @ March 2012).

Overall, I would recommend the Pets At Home Feeding Fork and have no complaints about it. I think it is a good value feeding fork that is suitable for using with both cat food and dog food, and I would buy another one in the future as it feels fairly robust and has lasted well.