This is an earthy, natural style food puzzle. I used a leftover rock from our catio, some cardboard tubes that already came cut just like this as packing material from a mail order and some garden twine. It’s a little rickety but a fun impromptu puzzle.
Homemade foraging toys
Dixie and Helen Wiffle Ball Foraging
Two senior cats foraging for the very first time from a wiffle ball toy. This object is great for beginners and intermediate foragers. The many holes appeal to their sense of smell and they can even hook their nails into the holes and pick up the ball and shake it!
The Fishbowl by Petsafe
This toy is like a weeble wobble and features a rounded bottom so it is constantly in motion while the cat uses it. Skilled paw use required!
Visit foodpuzzlesforcats.com for more rolling puzzle ideas!
Brown Paper Bag Foraging
Foraging toys do not need to be fancy. They just need to be unique and challenging for your particular cat and their skill level. Household items can make amazing food puzzles. It is important to offer unique items daily for mental stimulation. Remember, this is not only a feeding protocol, but mental and physical enrichment as well!
Visit foodpuzzlesforcats.com for more DIY ideas!
IKEA hack-DIY Food Puzzle for Cats!
I am excited to share my latest homemade foraging toy!
I have constructed a stationary food puzzle out of an Ikea chair! That is right, you heard me correctly, an Ikea chair!
There is no limit to what you can use to make cool, interesting and engaging food puzzles.
Check out the instructions below to create your very own stylish foraging board.
Thrilled with how this turned out.
Simple Ikea chair sans hardware.
Flip chair over!
What you will need:
An Ikea "Jules" chair available in adult and children's sizes
Some sisal carpet
Glad/Rubbermaid small storage cups
Velcro
Materials in place ready for crafting!
1. Staple & glue sisal carpet to chair seat.
2. Use Velcro to affix cups to chair back.
3. Secure cups.
Assembly Tips:
Place the plastic like side of the Velcro on the cup and the fuzzy side of the Velcro on the chair. This will make the cups easier to wash later and keep the Velcro from getting wet and soggy.
Be sure to place bottom edge of the cup in line with the hole if your cats are not master foragers. Leaving a "lip" it can make it much more difficult to remove a piece of dry food. However, this "lip" could be great for the cats that need more of a challenge.
Bam! Foraging board and scratch ramp in one.
A shot from underneath showing the cups.
A view of the dry food in the reservoirs.
Hitch is the first to check it out, no surprise there!
Simultaneous scratch ramp and puzzle use.
Foraging frenzy!
