“Some cats just roll it,” Dr. Bales says “But with other cats, it’s a full-on rodeo.”

Believing that the science behind the product is sound, Dr. Siracusa joined the NoBowl advisory board last spring.

According to research, about 58 percent of cats are overweight or obese. Most of the solutions have focused only on portion control and reduced-calorie diets. These include high-tech feeders designed to manage cats’ food intake. Wireless Whiskers and Pet Feedster are both automated feeders that release portioned cat food.

Dr. Bales is generally skeptical of tech-driven cat products, including the ones intended for entertainment and exercise. “I have a lot of concerns,” she says. “I don’t think your cat really wants to play with your iPad.”

And though it isn’t high-tech, Mr. Siracusa says that the NoBowl concept is, in fact, quite cutting-edge. “Paying attention to not just the amount of food, but to the feeding behavior is a very new concept for veterinary medicine,” he says.

That the NoBowl was created by a veterinarian should work to its advantage, says David Lummis, senior pet market analyst for Packaged Facts, a pet products news and trends site. Hill’s Science Diet dog and cat food and Greenies treats for cats and dogs both had huge success and benefited from ties with veterinarians, he says. Science Diet was developed by a vet, and Greenies received an endorsement from the Veterinary Oral Health Council.

Tierra Bonaldi, a pet lifestyle consultant with the American Pet Products Association, expects the NoBowl to thrive in the mass market, particularly given the recent focus on pet obesity. “Creating products that go back to their natural instincts and make them more active and not overeating is a good thing,” she says. She uses the Drinkwell Pet Fountain, a bowl with free-flowing water that she says her cats prefer because it mimics outdoor water sources.

But the NoBowl doesn’t have the same convenience as a cat water fountain or an automated food dispenser. “As a person with multiple cats, I just do not see myself stuffing these things,” Mr. Lummis says. “It’s not just the time it would take. It’s also the whole idea of trying to get them out from under the couch and trying to find them.”