Enrichment & Training: Feline Food Toys
Food toys are a simple way to add mental and physical stimulation into a cat’s daily life. Below is a list of DIY food toys that you can assemble from household items. These food toys can be given to your cat at any point throughout the day. Start by introducing the toys at the easy level and increase the challenge once your cat gets the hang of it. You can place kibble in the food toy or use high value treats, like tuna, sardines, or meat-flavored baby food.
Benefits:
- Enrichment and training increases problem solving skills and builds confidence.
- Provides opportunities to perform species-specific behaviors.
- Reduces undesirable behaviors resulting from boredom, frustration, or anxiety.
- Turns mealtime into an interactive activity throughout the day.
Let’s talk about treats: The properties of the treat and the movement of the toy can influence the difficulty and the appeal. You should start out by making the toy easy and the treats engaging. Treats that contrast against the color of the toy are easier to locate, while non-contrasting treats can increase the challenge. Smelly treats are easier to locate and are often more enticing, while kibble can increase the challenge. Toys with movement and sound can engage the cat to chase or pounce. Items such as shredded paper, appropriate cat ball toys with bells, or ping pong balls are all great additions to each toy to create movement and noise.
- Plastic Egg
Fill a plastic egg with wet food and let your cat knock it around to get the food out.
Easy: Loosely fill the egg with wet food and place on a paper plate to limit movement.
Challenge: Tightly pack the wet food and place on the floor. Provide this in a room with tile flooring for easy cleaning.
- Ice Cube Tray
Fill an ice cube tray with kibble or wet food.
Easy: Place food in each cavity and add a small amount of a stinky treat.
Challenge: Place food in only some of the cavities. Freeze for added frosty fun!
- Cardboard Box
Take an empty cardboard box and cut out cat arm-sized holes. Fill the box with kibble.
Easy: Cut multiple holes and make them larger in size. Leave one side open.
Challenge: Cut out a limited number of holes and leave both sides closed.
- Puzzle Box
Fill a box with toilet paper rolls and spread dry food inside.
Easy: Only insert a few toilet paper rolls and make sure that they are loosely placed.
Challenge: Glue the rolls to the bottom of the cardboard box and insert ping pong balls for added movement.
- Toilet Paper Tube
Fill these with kibble and/or wet food. Cut extra holes in the tube for food to fall out.
Easy: Leave one side unfolded to allow food to easily fall out and add shredded paper inside.
Challenge: Close up the sides and place around the house to encourage your cat to go “hunting.”
- Snuffle Mat
Sprinkle your cat’s food into a snuffle mat and let them forage.
Easy: Sprinkle stinky and contrasting color treats closer together for your cat to find.
Challenge: Use kibble, or a mix of kibble and stinky treats, and spread them out over a larger surface area.
- Plastic Egg
Fill a plastic egg with wet food and let your cat knock it around to get the food out.
Easy: Loosely fill the egg with wet food and place on a paper plate to limit movement.
Challenge: Tightly pack the wet food and place on the floor. Provide this in a room with tile flooring for easy cleaning.
- Ice Cube Tray
Fill an ice cube tray with kibble or wet food.
Easy: Place food in each cavity and add a small amount of a stinky treat.
Challenge: Place food in only some of the cavities. Freeze for added frosty fun!
- Cardboard Box
Take an empty cardboard box and cut out cat arm-sized holes. Fill the box with kibble.
Easy: Cut multiple holes and make them larger in size. Leave one side open.
Challenge: Cut out a limited number of holes and leave both sides closed.
- Puzzle Box
Fill a box with toilet paper rolls and spread dry food inside.
Easy: Only insert a few toilet paper rolls and make sure that they are loosely placed.
Challenge: Glue the rolls to the bottom of the cardboard box and insert ping pong balls for added movement.
- Toilet Paper Tube
Fill these with kibble and/or wet food. Cut extra holes in the tube for food to fall out.
Easy: Leave one side unfolded to allow food to easily fall out and add shredded paper inside.
Challenge: Close up the sides and place around the house to encourage your cat to go “hunting.”
- Snuffle Mat
Sprinkle your cat’s food into a snuffle mat and let them forage.
Easy: Sprinkle stinky and contrasting color treats closer together for your cat to find.
Challenge: Use kibble, or a mix of kibble and stinky treats, and spread them out over a larger surface area.
Fill a plastic egg with wet food and let your cat knock it around to get the food out.
Easy: Loosely fill the egg with wet food and place on a paper plate to limit movement.
Challenge: Tightly pack the wet food and place on the floor. Provide this in a room with tile flooring for easy cleaning.
Fill an ice cube tray with kibble or wet food.
Easy: Place food in each cavity and add a small amount of a stinky treat.
Challenge: Place food in only some of the cavities. Freeze for added frosty fun!
Take an empty cardboard box and cut out cat arm-sized holes. Fill the box with kibble.
Easy: Cut multiple holes and make them larger in size. Leave one side open.
Challenge: Cut out a limited number of holes and leave both sides closed.
Fill a box with toilet paper rolls and spread dry food inside.
Easy: Only insert a few toilet paper rolls and make sure that they are loosely placed.
Challenge: Glue the rolls to the bottom of the cardboard box and insert ping pong balls for added movement.
Fill these with kibble and/or wet food. Cut extra holes in the tube for food to fall out.
Easy: Leave one side unfolded to allow food to easily fall out and add shredded paper inside.
Challenge: Close up the sides and place around the house to encourage your cat to go “hunting.”
Sprinkle your cat’s food into a snuffle mat and let them forage.
Easy: Sprinkle stinky and contrasting color treats closer together for your cat to find.
Challenge: Use kibble, or a mix of kibble and stinky treats, and spread them out over a larger surface area.
