We'd love to see every veterinarian feature information about the use of food puzzles with cats on their websites! Here are just a few who do:
Paws, Whiskers & Claws in Atlanta, GA (hey! where Ingrid works!)
Okaw Veterinary Clinic in IL (hey! where awesome behavior consultant Dr. Sally Foote is based!)
Deer Run Animal Hospital in IN
We hope to add to this list in the future!
This stationary foraging toy offers multiple puzzles in one including an area for wet food. Food does not always need to be the focus. The ping-pong ball section is like a feline rooting box and can be filled with water for cats that enjoy playing with water. The floating balls add a play component. Novelties can also be added like blades of grass tied in knots, and sticks and leaves for a seasonal fun offering.
These adorable little mice are an excellent beginner food puzzle for cats. They are unlike anything else available in that they have a fabric covering allowing the cats to grab the toy with their claws. The large holes easily accommodate a dental diet, a preferred kibble when implementing foraging. If feeding mostly canned food and minimizing the cats ability to crunch why not maximize their dental benefit with what little dry food they do consume? Dental diets are the best way to mimic the flesh, feathers and bone a cat would naturally crunch through when eating real prey. The holes of these mice offer generous dispensing of food to aid the cat in learning the game of foraging. You can increase the challenge by hiding these toys requiring your cat to go hunting for them or covering up one of the holes.
A more intricate food puzzle with multiple components. Wet cat food can also be used in the wells making it a versatile and challenging game for your cats. This toy is for the experienced forager!
Some cats are very slow starters and need to be gradually eased into the concept of working for their food. Some families also cannot afford the fancy stationary foraging boards not knowing if their cat will take to using them. This is our compromise! An ice cube tray is incredibly easy and often free or at least inexpensive if you do not already have them sitting around the house. Once your cat has developed the skills to scoop the food out of the little wells with their paw, investing in a more intricate foraging board will not seem so risky.
**This can easily be used for canned food too!
Keep an open mind because dog toys can be great for cats too! They are often heavier which provides a greater challenge and they usually hold more food for multiple cat households.
This Busy Buddy toy can be made increasingly more difficult by filling smaller objects and placing them inside this puzzle so the cats have to get food out of two objects at once. A weighted object could also be adding for increased challenge.
Hitchinson shows you how here!
This food-dispensing toy is called the Twist 'N Treat and it also encourages playtime using the enticing feather feature. Adjustable openings increase or decrease the challenge for your cat. The only downside is that it is quite easy and usually emptied quickly.
These jars make a great puzzle! They are easy to fill for the humans and opaque with only one hole so they are more challenging for your cats. You can fill a smaller object such as an egg and place inside to really increase the difficulty level or simply "dummy-fill" with other small cat toys so that the hole is sometimes obstructed as the cat manipulates the jar!
All of the foraging toys made by Fundamentally Feline are hand-made.
This is an intricate and challenging stationary food puzzle. This video shows cats figuring out and solving the five different sections. This puzzle can accommodate canned food in some compartments as well as dry food. This is a toy is for the experienced forager!
This beautiful blue food puzzle is a rolling tube made with a 3-D printer. The dimensions of the puzzle and holes can be changed to suit your cat's needs, diet, and challenge level! (Right now it's set to "Science Diet size"). You can download the files HERE.