If your cat is bored, the best way to help is to provide a feline enrichment task. The goal is to simulate what a cat may do in the wild, engaging the natural urge to hunt for food, utilizing a cats excellent sense of smell and touch, and providing something to scratch and physically attack. When it comes to hunting for bugs, birds or mice you want a prey that is small, lightweight, and with a natural feel. You can also replace the dinner bowl with different food puzzles, having him work to earn each kibble. These ideas provides excellent feline enrichment, keeping your cats mentally stimulated and keeping boredom at bay.
Here are 8 cheap and easy DIY ideas for puzzle feeders and enrichment tools to help keep your bored cats happy!
Use a glass jar as a puzzle feeder, it's easy to clean and slows your cat down. It's also challenging enough to help keep your cat mentally stimulated. For a direct link to the video, click here!
1. Put dry food in a little glass or a mason jar (click here to see my cat do this on Instagram!) so he has to paw it to get them out. This is my second favorite cat puzzle feeder as it’s quick any easy, and dishwasher safe! My favorite cat feeder is made of wood, a more natural and warm material for your cat to paw at, and has multiple entry holes for them to hunt the ‘bug’ from.
Large Catlyco puzzle feeder in action
2. Fill a box with tissue paper or shredded paper (but not small pieces so they can’t eat them by accident) so your cat has to hunt and paw for each kibble. Make sure you do not use the plastic straw or string as these could be a choking hazard if ingested, and supervise them while they eat!
Use an empty box with tissue paper (never the easter plastic straw) and fill it with kibble. A sweet puzzle feeder for your cats. If the video is not playing please use the direct link here.
3. Find a plastic easter egg and cut holes in it. You can buy big plastic ones but I find them too bulky for my cats. You can even make one out of paper if you are crafty! Fill this with its regular dinner and make him work for it. This is the paper ball that I made for my cats. I chose paper as it has a natural feel and is lightweight, simulating a small bird or mouse. It’s for sale here on my Etsy shop and comes with a generous bag of treats!
Use the catlyco ball puzzle feeder to give your cats a fun meal. It’s made of paper so it gives a natural feel to your cat, and is lightweight like a bird or a mouse. DIrect link to the video here.
4. Kibble/treat tossing: You can also toss the dry food across the room one by one - not extra treats but the normal dinner - so the cat has to run and hunt for them. My cat needs a lot of stimulation and play so this is a perfect play activity for us. I designed a tool specifically to toss the kibble because I didn’t like getting my hands dirty. It’s great as we can watch TV and exercise the cats at the same time. The cats love playing with this one!
Catlyco Treat Tosser in action while we watch Netflix and chill. Direct link to the video here!
5. Another cheap idea is improving the “cat TV” channel- ie putting a bird feeder in the window where your cat likes to sit. Bonus points if the squirrels come too. Home Depot will sell a big bag of birdseed for cheap.
6. Catnip kickers are affordable and an excellent way for your cat to physically attack something. The scent of catnip also provides sensory stimulation and drives your cat crazy, giving it a sense of euphoria. Catnip only affects about 50% of cats, but valerian and silvervine also affect a different proportion of cats. The cat will physically attack and bunny kick this toy, a great way to physically let some steam out. Cats have an animal side that makes them want to hunt, pounce, run, and kill prey for fun so activities that let them exercise this instinct are ideal for them. I sell a catnip kicker with little pointy ears so that they provide something small and preylike for your cat to bite. The large size also lets them bunny kick and really let their aggressive side go all out.
My catnip kicker has pointy ears so your cat has something prey size to nibble on. A great way to get the hunt on and awaken the house panther within your cat. Available with catnip, silvervine, and valerian mixes from my Etsy shop.
7. Move your existing cat trees or scratching posts (cruicial toys) around to give them a novel feeling. Rotate toys so they doesn’t get bored with the same ones. There are also cat tunnels that you can buy for a relatively affordable price.
8. A sheer fabric draped over the existing toys is also great. There is am excellent toy called sheer fun for cats that is amazing as it breathes new life into your current toys and can be draped over a chair. Cats love to hide and the sheer fabric is very enticing for many cats. Check our the instagram account for Sheer fun for cats and you’ll see how popular it is!