D.I.Y. Cat Food Puzzles
Spookie is gaining weight…
Ah yes, the joy of living in a multi-cat, multi-species, multi-person household! Some of us have learned to share, but others…. not so much! We LOVE Spookie, please don’t get me wrong, but he’s become somewhat of a glutton. This doesn’t seem to work out so well for Boots! Poor fella has been losing weight.
Boots
In fact, no matter which of the other cats is in the room when Spookie is around loses his chance to eat because Spookie will just move in and take over. So, I’ve made two changes that I hope will impact this situation.
The first is that the cats are fed separately. This takes a bit of extra time, but Boots is finally getting a chance to eat a meal without being bullied away from it. Unfortunately, Peek-a-boo takes his sweet time and doesn’t always want to eat when I put his meal down. So, the second change is that I want to begin putting the dry portion of his meal inside a food puzzle.
Peek-a-boo
Here to help with that is an article by Dr. Michael Karg, DVM
“Cats are safer indoors without dealing with the risks of getting outside. However, there is much to explore out side and it is a big challenge to provide enough “environmental enrichment” inside to keep them stimulated and prevent problems that may arise out of boredom. Cats are intelligent animals with instincts for the mental and physical challenge of catching their meal. When we offer their food exclusively in a bowl, they miss out on this natural creative exercise -in short, we make it too easy for them.
Make a food puzzle for your cat! There are many options, but the basic goal is to create a challenge your cat must solve before he can eat. Here are three things you can make with a similar theme, each in increasing difficulty.”
via What’s a Food Puzzle? – Frederick Cat Vet.
Related articles
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The National Humane Education Society
Thanks for the links. Those food puzzles are so cool. We have the same problem, with food thieves and some must be fed in separate rooms. At least none of them has wasted away, or the opposite, turned into a tubby. Purrs and hugs from the kitties at The Cat on My Head, Lily Olivia, Mauricio, Misty May, Giulietta, Fiona, Astrid, Lisbeth and Calista Josette.
I’m glad it’s not just because I’m a first-time-cat-person! I’ve found some expensive products that solve the problem, but I think keeping their minds active with puzzle toys should help some of the problem.
We have a food maze and a little ball with holes in it — which one my cats ADORES! It’s a great way to feed them and challange them. 🙂
I loved that these puzzles were made with things I have readily available. I used the cardboard tube from a roll of paper towels last night and it sure kept them busy!