Great News:

The Benefits of Using Puzzle Feeders for Cats




New book CatWise

Puzzle feeder designs


Homemade puzzle feeders


A popular homemade puzzle feeder design at our house is the toilet paper tube feeder. Take the cardboard center from the toilet paper roll and cut holes in it that are a little bigger than the size of the kibble. Fold the ends in to close them and you have an easy and cheap puzzle feeder. I also make one out of a small plastic water bottle. I cut holes in the plastic and then pour some dry kibble in there. Replace the cap and you have a feeder that’s easy for the cat to roll around and also makes an enticing sound.

When you initially make homemade puzzle feeders make the holes large enough so kitty has lots of success at getting the kibble. Then when she gets the idea of the game you can make a puzzle feeder with smaller holes.

With cardboard or plastic bottle feeders, make sure you only provide them to cats who don’t eat cardboard or plastic. Additionally, don’t put these feeders out in locations where the family dog can access them.puzzle feeder

Puzzle feeders for wet food

If you feed wet food to your cat you can still incorporate puzzle feeders into her routine. For my cat I use a Kong toy. This company makes puzzle feeders for dogs but I get the one made for puppies and put a little canned food in there. The Kong is a rubber cone-shaped toy and can easily be found in the dog toy aisle of the pet product store. If your cat doesn’t get the concept initially then wipe some of the wet food on the outside of the toy as well so she gets used to licking the rubber surface.

I also create a homemade wet food puzzle feeder with a muffin tin. It’s really simple but it provides my cat with an opportunity to do a little work for her food. I place a small amount of canned food in each of the muffin compartments so my cat has to walk around to each one to get her food. You can do this with dry food as well.

Books by Pam Johnson-Bennett