07/06/2026
Puzzle Feeders
One of my favourite enrichment items for pets!
Puzzle feeders come in all shapes, sizes and difficulty levels. Once your pet has mastered one, you can increase the challenge to improve their problem-solving skills and keep their brain active.
You don’t even need to spend any money, as homemade puzzle feeders can be just as engaging. Try hiding dry food in an egg carton, scattering kibble in a cardboard box filled with scrunched-up paper, or putting wet food into an ice cube tray. You could even freeze it for an extra challenge, or to help pets keep cool on warmer days.
Puzzle feeders are great for:
- Mental stimulation: Especially important for indoor cats who may become bored without adequate opportunities to hunt and explore.
- Physical stimulation: Encouraging movement and activity, helping pets maintain a healthy weight.
- Greedy pets: To slow down eating and reduce gulping food.
- Anxiety: Useful for distracting pets during potentially stressful situations such as fireworks, visitors or being left home alone.
Here is Crystal the cat is showing off her puzzle feeder skills during this morning’s drop-in visit. I always find it interesting watching how different pets approach the same puzzle. Some use their noses to move pieces around, others use their paws or mouth... and then there’s always one who discovers a shortcut and simply flips the whole thing upside down! 😂
