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Food Puzzles For Cats

2 cats playing with kibble in a food puzzle

Interactive toys focus your cat's attention in constructive ways

Does your cat eat too fast?

group of kittens eating from a food bowl
Maybe as a kitten he had to compete with littermates to get his share, or maybe he had a tough start in life and had to forage for himself. Or maybe he just really likes food.

​A food puzzle slows a cat down because he has to use his wits plus a paw or another strategy to locate and tease food from between, behind or under something.

Eating more slowly means he’s less less likely to overeat and less prone to throw up, too.
overweight cat lying on its side

Is kitty bored?

closeup of cat claws scratching furniture
Like people, if a cat doesn’t have something to keep her occupied, she may turn to a snack. Why not convert eating into an energetic activity? Now it’s tasty, fun, healthy exercise.

​Especially if yours is an indoor cat, it’s smart to find ways to prevent behavior problems that stem from boredom. Scratched furniture, overgrooming, aggression or eliminating outside the litterbox can be examples of a cat who’s looking for something interesting to do.

Those were some wild times

cheetah chasing springbok
Cats are wired to hunt for their food. In the wild they spend hours every day stalking and chasing their next meal. Contrast that with a domestic cat who only needs to rub her person’s leg, look up and meow to have a bowl of dinner set down on the floor for her. You can use that hunting urge to enrich your cat's experiences and let her have the satisfaction of capturing and devouring food. That's akin to what her ancestors did.

How to get your paws on a food puzzle

You can DIY a food puzzle with things around the house, or you can do an online search for Food Puzzles For Cats (also known as Forage Toys) and find some fun options to make or buy.

Toys can be simple

cat food kibble in ice cube tray
​An ice cube tray makes a perfect simple forage toy.

They can be intermediate

cat reaching into toilet paper roll forage toy
Now you know what to do with your empty toilet paper rolls.

Or toys can be advanced

cat on its back playing with food puzzle containers
​The blue tubes have kibble inside. They swing back and forth and the cat has to figure out how to turn them upside down so the food falls out. But then when it falls it lands between the soft spikes underneath which presents another challenge.

By design food puzzles are an excellent way to channel the natural curiosity and energy of your cat. Ready, kitty? Go for it!
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