Feline feeding toys

Many cats are subjected to their owner’s choice of feeding times and methods, which is a very artificial situation. Foraging toys can be used in almost any home environment and offer cats both mental and physical stimulation, as Ingrid Johnson describes.

Introduction

Offering cats the opportunity to work for their food, just as they would hunt outdoors, is an often overlooked form of enrichment. This is especially true for the indoor-only cat. Giving cats a bowl full of dry food, as so many owners do, or feeding them only twice a day to keep them trim, is frustrating for cats and often results in behavioral problems. Foraging is the middle ground solution between free feeding and strict meal feeding. Boredom, frustration, and environmental stress are some of the most common reasons for feline behavior problems. Foraging provides cats with something to do with their time, offering “positive frustration” by giving them a problem to solve ( 1 ). The behavior becomes self-fulfilling as the cat is rewarded with food as it figures out the puzzle.

Dietary needs and eating style

Before foraging toys are offered, it is necessary to understand what and how cats eat. Cats are obligate carnivores, and naturally nibble and pick, eating nine to sixteen small, evenly sized meals throughout the day ( 2 ). In fact, there is evidence that meal-fed cats may be more aggressive and less cooperative than cats fed by free choice ( 2 ).

Cats are not family-style eaters. They are a social species that live in groups, but they hunt and eat alone ( 2 ). Unlike the big cats, our domestic cats prey on small animals which are not suitable for sharing. Cats also prefer — and take great comfort in — controlling their resources and basic needs. When control is taken away, often unintentionally by the owners, this creates stress. Free access to food, water, toileting areas and safe resting places are key to a cat’s wellbeing and mental health. So we need to allow our cats to eat… but make them work for it. This is where foraging toys come into play.

Getting started

A cat’s first foraging toy should be easy. The cat needs to learn the “game” and be rewarded for the behavior. There are basically two types of foraging toys or food puzzles, rolling and stationary. The toys can either be purchased or homemade, and may be designed to be used with wet or dry food (Figure 1a)(Figure 1b), or a combination of both, although wet food puzzles require a bit more creativity to implement. As a whole, and in the author’s experience, rolling puzzles are more challenging than stationary puzzles, but every cat is different. If weight loss is a desired goal, rolling puzzles will make the cat work harder. Encouraging cats to forage from both types of toy will increased their versatility and add mental stimulation and enrichment. [...]