I suggest food puzzles to clients all the time. My own cats, both present and past, have loved food puzzles during their lives. Still, not every cat takes to a food puzzle right away. There is a correct way to help introduce your cat to a new food puzzle or to puzzle feeders in general to help make the process easy for them and you.
Pick The Right Puzzle
While cats may like some puzzle feeders, not all cats like every puzzle feeder you offer them. The puzzle feeder should be well made, safe, and at a difficulty level that’s appropriate for your cat. This means trying a variety of puzzles, but don’t pick the exact same thing or you’ll get the same results. Things to consider when selecting a puzzle feeder:
- Task: What does your cat have to do to get the food? Are they a digger or do they like swatting at something that rolls?
- Difficulty: Some puzzles are easy. Some puzzles are really challenging. Pick one based your cat’s skill and familiarity with food puzzles.
- Flexibility: Does your cat prefer wet or dry food? Can the puzzle feeder you’re offering them accommodate that type of food?
And The Right Food
Just as important as the puzzle itself is the type of treats or food you use. Cats will be more motivated to work for treats they love, whereas kibble they feel meh about? Not worth the effort.
If you eventually want to transition your cat, for example, from treats to their regular food, you can do so gradually. Slowly begin mixing in some of their food with the treats and decrease the number of treats they get gradually. Eventually, you can stop using treats entirely, but don’t be in too much of a rush to do this. Going too fast will result in your cat just not being interested in the food puzzle at all.
Start Easy
Much like how you wouldn’t play a video game (especially one with a secret cat themed twist) at the highest difficulty to start, don’t force your cat to use their puzzle feeder at the highest difficulty level. If it’s too hard, it won’t be worth the effort unless they know there’s a payout coming.
Make the puzzle feeder really easy to use to start. For example, start by simply setting food on top of a snuffle mat or keeping a well in a puzzle feeder totally open so your cat can just eat out of it. If you’re doing a foraging puzzle feeder, keep the puzzle feeders in really prominent locations. As your cat is successful with it, gradually increase the difficulty level so they have to work slightly more to get the food.
Pick A Puzzle With Multiple Difficulty Levels
If this sounds complicated, it doesn’t have to be. One of my favorite puzzle feeders that also is a great example of an adjustable difficulty puzzle feeder is the Buggin’ Out because it’s adorable, but also easy to adjust the difficulty level of it. You get three (or four if you count leaving the wells totally open) difficulties you can “set” the puzzle to if needed.
This was the first puzzle feeder I got Zoloft. He loved his lady bugs and would always be so excited when I pulled them out.
Transition Gradually
If you plan to use puzzle feeders for meals instead of treats, don’t shock your cat by suddenly transitioning all their food to a puzzle feeder. Starving your cat isn’t worth it and underfeeding cats can have serious consequences. Start by using it as a supplement to regular meals and gradually add more and more to the puzzle feeder.
A Word On Free Feeding
If you free feed your cat, you can still use food puzzles with them. For example, if you use a combo of wet food and feed feed dry food, you can use a puzzle feeder for the wet food. You can also use treats in a food puzzle for your cats while keeping kibble in a bowl.
Even better, however, is using the puzzle feeders to free feed them. Pick one that doesn’t have a lot of removable parts that your cat can swallow (snuffle mats aren’t great for this option) such as a feeder ball and leave it out. Just make sure to transition them slowly by leaving some food to start in a regular bowl.
If Your Cat Won’t Eat Enough
If your cat won’t eat enough food, you don’t have to feed them all their food in a puzzle feeder. You can leave some food in a bowl and some in a food puzzle. This prevents them from starving, but still allows them to use the food puzzle when they are interested.
Automatic Feeders Can Be Food Puzzles, Too!
While not compatible with every food puzzle, you can create some puzzle feeders or slow feeders with automatic feeders. Some puzzle feeder bowls will fit into the automatic feeder. If your can’t find a slow feeder compatible with your automatic feeder, you can get a slow feeder silicone insert for your bowls.
How To Get Your Cat To Use A Food Puzzle
One final suggestion that I see new cat parents do when introducing new things to their cat that actually can create problems: don’t be a helicopter cat parent. Lurking over your cat as they eat may scare them so leave the food puzzle out and go nearby where you can still keep a close eye on them (you should always monitor your cat while using a puzzle feeder) by won’t be too close. If needed, consider setting up a pet camera on the puzzle feeder to see if it gets used.
Try each puzzle feeder a few times before you declare it not a success. Cats need time to adjust to change. They may not love every toy, scratching post, or other fun item you offer them, but sometimes they just need time to adjust. Patience is key with cats including when you’re getting them used to using a food puzzle.
