Food Puzzles Galore
What Is a Food Puzzle and How to Use It
If it requires more effort than just eating from a bowl, it's a food puzzle. This means any activity that makes your cat think about how to get the food. You can buy food puzzles or make them with items you have at home. For example, you can put some kibble in a sturdy glass or mug placed on its side. Anything safe for your cat can become a food puzzle. You can use treats or kibble, but it's best to start with treats to grab their interest. Once your cat understands how it works, they'll likely enjoy putting in a little effort for their kibble.
Some food puzzles also work with wet food and liquid treats. Below are some of my favorites.
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Why Use Food Puzzles for Your Cat?
Adding food-related brain games to your cat's daily routine is very beneficial.
Burning Mental Energy
We often forget that mental tasks can be just as tiring as physical ones, and this applies to cats as well. This is especially true for high-energy cats like kittens. Food puzzles can help redirect their energy in a positive way, preventing them from finding more destructive outlets.
Helping With Boredom
Cats should not sleep all day. They do this at home because they often lack other activities. Alternatively, they may create their own fun in ways we don’t appreciate, like climbing curtains, opening kitchen cabinets, or pulling drawstring pants out of the closet.
Food puzzles can engage lazy or destructive cats.
Burning Anxious Energy
Many cats experience anxiety, which can be constant or happen in moments caused by triggers. You may not know why they are stressed, but you can see they're uneasy. A food puzzle can help! Just like people, when cats are anxious, it's better for them to engage in an activity. Providing something for them to focus on helps reduce their anxiety and keeps them from developing bad habits, like overgrooming.
Holding Your Cat's Attention in a Positive Way
At times, you may want your cat to focus on something positive, whether it's during the introduction of a new cat or improving the relationship between your cat and dog. If your cat is nervous around kids or strangers, a food puzzle can help. Treats are a great reward for calm and brave behavior and encourage your cat to engage. A food puzzle keeps their attention more than just eating treats off the floor, helping them stay focused and less distracted by their surroundings, such as noisy kids or a new cat.
Supplementing Physical Activity
At times, your cat may not be able to be active due to age or recovery from a medical issue. During these moments, it's important to focus on mental enrichment like food puzzles. You can easily find or make puzzles suited to your cat's needs. The Catit Digger is a good option since it only needs one paw to reach the food.
Note: If your cat is healing from surgery, check with your vet to ensure a food puzzle won’t disrupt your cat’s activity limits.
Fun During Alone Time
If you’re away for long hours at work, a food puzzle can keep your cat entertained. It gives them something interesting to do while you’re gone. Your pet sitter can also use the puzzles during their visits when you’re traveling. They can set up the puzzles at the end of each visit.
Teaching Your Cat to Use a Food Puzzle
You can make feeding more fun for your cat by using a food puzzle filled with treats. However, it's important to help your cat adjust to this new way of eating. Start with treats to keep the "hunting" exciting and worth their effort. See below for more ideas on what to use in your cat's food puzzle.
Start easy. Use items you already have at home instead of buying a food puzzle. Show your cat that treats can come from unusual places. Try using a muffin tin or a clean sour cream container and drop in some treats. Your cat will explore and enjoy the food. If they're not interested, try using their favorite treats to grab their attention. Over time, you can use less valuable treats. Always supervise your cat while they’re learning to use the puzzle, and avoid containers where their head could get stuck.
Gradually increase the challenge. Once they master step one, increase the challenge. Crumple a paper towel and place it over the treat. Now, they need to move something aside to reach the reward.
Shrink their access. Use smaller containers like yogurt cups, then egg crates, and finally an ice cube tray. As the containers get smaller, pets can't just dive in to eat the treats; they need to use their paws to get them out.
Get creative. You can create or buy food puzzles for your cat. As your cat masters each one, increase the difficulty to keep their mind active.If your cat gets tired of a food puzzle, don’t throw it away. Just store it for a couple of months while they use a different one. Later, when they’ve forgotten about it, you can bring it back out.
The Best Cat Interactive Food Puzzles
Here are some of my cat's favorite food puzzles and others I often suggest to my clients.
Cat Puzzles By Difficulty Level
Easy Puzzles
If your cat hasn't tried interactive food puzzles, start with a simple one to avoid frustration and discouragement.
Catit Senses 2.0 Digger (as shown in the featured picture)
Buggin' Out Puzzle & Play Treat Puzzle
Harder Puzzles for Cats
Cat Amazing Treat Box Interactive Maze
Adjustable Difficulty
You can make these feeders simpler at first and harder as your cat gets better.
PetSafe SlimCat Mean Dispensing Ball
Doc & Phoebe's Hunting Snacker for Cats
Catit Senses 2.0 Food Tree (This toy is the first one mentioned in the article – it's excellent!)
The puzzle (above) is great for multiple cats.
This puzzle is perfect for two or more cats that enjoy solving puzzles together.
Trixie Activity Fun Board (as in featured photo above)
Puzzles for Wet Food or Treats
Some wet foods and treats, like Churu, can be fun for your cat but can also slow them down during meals. Although these foods have additives to stay fresh longer, it's best to limit how long they are left out. If your cat hasn't eaten the wet food or treats within an hour, throw them away to avoid bacteria like Salmonella or Listeria. Clean the food puzzle afterward for next time. We advise against using raw food in puzzles, as bacteria can develop in just 20 minutes. Remember to wash everything thoroughly.
LickiMat Fish-Shaped Cat Slow Feeder
Doc & Phoebe's Wet Food Feeder
Wash your food puzzles often, especially if you use wet food, treats, or raw items. Most can go in the dishwasher (top rack). Otherwise, use dish soap and hot water to wash by hand.
Homemade cat food puzzles
Cats can get bored quickly, making it expensive to buy new food puzzles frequently. Consider making your own to switch with store-bought ones. If you have kids or can enlist friends' children, crafting food puzzles together can be a fun and creative project. Here are some easy ideas.
Make holes in a water bottle and put treats inside. Your cat can roll it to get the treats out. You can adjust the hole size to make it easier or harder.
Make holes in a paper bag (not plastic) and clip it to the bottom of a chair. Your cat will have to swipe at the bag to get the treats to drop out. You can adjust the difficulty by changing the size and number of holes.
Seal one end of a toilet paper tube and fill the other end with treats. Your cat will reach in to get the treats. (If you're worried about staples or your cat chewing the cardboard, you can use a binder clip to close one end.)
Make bigger holes in the sides of a box and put treats inside. Your cat will have to reach in like it's chasing a mouse to get the treats.
Skip the puzzle. Instead, toss some treats or kibble in the air for your cat to find using their nose. You can also hide treats around your home, starting with easy spots. As time goes on, get creative with your hiding places. Your cat will enjoy sniffing out the hidden treats during the day.
Here are some Pinterest pages with many crafty ideas.
What to include in your cat's food puzzle?
Some cats enjoy working for their daily kibble with a food puzzle. It’s best not to start by using the puzzle for their whole meal, as that might be stressful. You can gradually increase the puzzle use. If your cat needs motivation, try different treats to see which ones they like best. Remember, the treat's size and shape can affect how easy or hard the puzzle is. If you have to shake the puzzle for the treat to fall out, your cat might struggle. If your cat's calorie intake increases from food puzzles with treats on top of their regular meals, you can reduce their meal portions to balance it out. Consider using high-protein, low-calorie treats to keep treat time healthy.
Note: Treats should only make up 10 to 15% of your cat’s daily calories. Use a calculator to find out how many calories your cat needs each day to stay at a healthy weight. Once you know this number, figure out what percentage can come from treats. Keep track of the calorie count for the food and treats you give your cat.
Treats that Cats Love
Single-ingredient protein treats are a healthy option. They usually have more protein and are better than many other treats. With just one ingredient, you know what your cat is eating. If your cat has special dietary needs or must avoid certain proteins, these treats are a good choice. There are many flavors and brands available.
All the treats below have 2 or 3 calories each. Some can be broken into smaller pieces.
PureBites Freeze-Dried Chicken Breast Treats
PureBite Freeze-Dried Tuna Treats
PureBites Wild Caught Minnow Cat Treats
These two treats have under 2 calories each and are not just protein.
Halo Holistic Indoor Cat Food – Not really a treat, but can be used like one.
Chewy treats are great for a post-play snack because their meaty texture makes your cat feel like they are eating their prey after “hunting” during play.
Blue Buffalo Soft Chicken & Turkey Treats
Rachael Ray Nutrish Salmon Treats
Pet Greens Deep Sea Tuna
Crunchy treats support dental health and are great for food puzzles.
Blue Buffalo Crunchy Chicken Treats
Greenies Oven-Roasted Chicken Flavor Treats
Purina Pro Plan Crunchy Bites
Churu is the best wet treat! It's made with clean ingredients, and an entire tube has only about 6 calories.
Medical Consideration: If your cat needs special food or treats and your vet doesn't suggest alternatives, you still have choices. Many prescription cat foods have matching treats made from the same safe ingredients. You can also freeze the canned food in a mold to make treats that can be broken into smaller pieces.
You can ask your vet if you can try a different brand’s diet, like Royal Canin, Hills Science Diet, or Purina Pro, as they all offer urinary care diets with similar ingredients but different flavors. You can feed your cat one brand for meals and another for treats, but remember to introduce new foods gradually.
Food puzzles are a great option for every cat and provide mental stimulation. They help during socialization and positive reinforcement. They can keep your cat entertained while you're away, and it's fun to watch them solve the puzzles. Incorporate food puzzles into your daily cat care routine!
