Cat Food Puzzles: How They Work + How to Get Your Cat to Use One

Enrichment should be a part of your cat’s daily life. One of my favorite ways to add enrichment to a cat’s routine is to turn something they already have to do every day—eat!—into an opportunity to sniff, search, paw, lick, investigate, and problem-solve.

That’s where food puzzles for cats come in.

Food puzzles give your cat a chance to act on their natural foraging instincts. They also come in a variety of sizes, styles, and difficulty levels, so there are endless possibilities!

A food puzzle can be as simple as tossing a few treats onto a rug or as complicated as a multi-step puzzle that requires your cat to move pieces, open compartments, and figure out how to access the food.

Some cats love rolling puzzles. Others prefer stationary puzzles they can work with their paws. Some like an easy challenge they can solve in a minute or two, while others enjoy a much bigger mental workout.

I’ve used a lot of different food puzzles with my own cats over the years, and I’ve learned that choosing the right puzzle for the individual cat is much more important than choosing the hardest one.

Let’s talk about how to get started.

What Are Cat Food Puzzles?

Cat food puzzles are toys that hold food or treats and require your cat to interact with or manipulate them in some way to access the food inside.

They can be:

• Mobile — your cat rolls, bats, pushes, or moves the puzzle to release food.
• Stationary — your cat uses their paws or nose to retrieve food from cups, compartments, holes, or other areas.
• DIY — you make your own puzzle using household objects.
• Simple or complex — some puzzles are appropriate for beginners, while others require several steps to solve.

Food puzzles can be used with dry food, treats, and—in appropriate stationary puzzles—wet food. They can be purchased commercially or made at home.

They can be used in different ways too:

• Turn your cat’s regular meals into a foraging opportunity with food puzzles.
• Feed a portion of your cat’s meal in a food puzzle.
• Use them to give your cat special treats.

Why Are Food Puzzles Good Enrichment for Cats?

Though I absolutely recommend keeping cats indoors for safety reasons (unless you’re taking them outside in a safe and controlled manner), indoor cats still need opportunities to act on their natural behaviors so they don’t get bored.

They need opportunities to explore, hunt, forage, climb, scratch, play, solve problems, and make choices. If we don’t make a conscious effort to provide those outlets, our cats can miss out on important physical and mental stimulation. And that’s where enrichment comes in!

Food puzzles are an excellent way to give your cat both mental and physical enrichment.

They “enable cat owners to take advantage of the domestic cat’s natural inclination to work (hunt) for their food to provide mental stimulation and increase the activity of their pet cats.” (quote from the study Food puzzles for cats: Feeding for physical and emotional wellbeing)

Simply put, puzzle feeders increase your cat’s activity, reduce stress and boredom, and can even help them to lose weight. They help slow your cat’s eating down too, so if you have a “scarf and barfer,” feeding them with a puzzle feeder could be the solution!

How to Introduce Your Cat to a Food Puzzle

1. Make it easy.

If your cat has never used a food puzzle before, don’t start by handing them the most complicated puzzle you can find. Make it as easy as possible in the beginning by choosing a puzzle where your cat can easily see or smell the food and doesn’t have to perform complicated behaviors to access it.

The puzzle should also be almost just as easy as eating straight out of their bowl.

A basic snuffle mat is hands-down the easiest way to start introducing foraging to your cat.

2. Make the food obvious.

Sprinkle some food or treats on the floor around the puzzle to get your cat started.

You should also start with a clear feeder/puzzle so your cat can see there’s food inside.

If you’re using a rolling puzzle feeder, make the openings as large as possible, and fill the toy almost all the way up with treats or kibble. If it’s a stationary puzzle, make sure any cups or compartments are overflowing.

3. Use the food your cat loves.

If your cat doesn’t care about the food you’ve put in the puzzle, they’re probably not going to try that hard to get the food out.

Use your cat’s favorite treats or kibble – something that’s high-value or that’s part of their normal meal.

4. Show your cat how it works.

Cats can learn by observing, so demonstrating to your cat how the puzzle works can absolutely help jumpstart the process.

5. Increase the difficulty gradually.

As your cat learns how the puzzles work, you can begin to make things a little more challenging. (tips for how to make your puzzles more difficult below ⬇️)

But also, don’t feel like you need to keep making it harder forever. If your cat enjoys the puzzle at its current difficulty, that’s a win.

What if My Cat Won’t Use a Food Puzzle?

If your cat isn’t showing interest in their puzzle, it’s likely for at least one of the following reasons:

• The puzzle is too difficult — try an easier one.
• Your cat doesn’t like that particular type of puzzle (yes, cats have opinions too!) — try a different type.
• The food or treats you’re using aren’t motivating enough — use your cat’s absolute favorite treat.
• Your cat just needs more time — give your cat more time, and maybe even do the puzzle with them so they can see how it’s done.

A basic snuffle mat or slow feeder is a great place to start if your cat is struggling with a puzzle. With these toys, your cat doesn’t have to move or manipulate much of anything to get their food – they just have to sniff around for it, which makes them much easier for beginners.

If your cat is used to being able to walk over to their full food bowl anytime they want and has never done a food puzzle or other type of foraging activity before, it can take time for your cat to figure out a puzzle or even to find the motivation to work for their food.

If you’ve tried the suggestions above and still aren’t having any luck, it might be time to explore some ways to increase your cat’s food motivation.

How to Make Cat Food Puzzles More Challenging

If your cat is solving their food puzzles in record time or losing interest in the ones you have, it might be time to increase the difficulty! Though you can absolutely purchase more challenging puzzles, you can also modify the ones you already have to make them harder.

For example, you can:

• Make any adjustable openings smaller
• Tape up or cover some of the holes
• Fill the toy with less food
• Layer your puzzles – for example, crumple up a piece of paper and put it inside your rolling food puzzle along with the kibble, creating an additional obstacle
• Hide the puzzles behind or underneath something so your cat has to find it
• Change the location where you offer the puzzle
• If possible, put one puzzle inside of another

But remember: harder isn’t always better. Sometimes a quick-win might be what your cat needs for a little confidence boost!

The Food Puzzles My Cats Love

My husband and I share our home with 6 cats. As you can imagine, there are a wide range of personalities and preferences represented.

We’ve tried countless food puzzles over the years, and some are definitely more loved than others. Here are my cats’ favorite ones:

PetSafe Egg-cercizer

Type: Rolling
Difficulty level: Beginner
Buy on Amazon

This is a great starter puzzle because the hole openings can be adjusted. Slide the holes to their largest setting, fill the puzzle up, set it down on the floor, and watch your cat discover food puzzle fun.

As your cat gets better at it, you can make the holes smaller and fill it up with less food.

We most often use the Egg-cercizer with Gryphon as an extra meal during the day. We discovered that Gryph does better with more frequent meals to help manage his anxiety, so the Egg-Cersizer became an easy way to give him a small, additional meal while also giving him an enrichment activity.

Trixie Cat Brain Mover

Type: Stationary
Difficulty level: Intermediate
Buy on Amazon

The Brain Mover toy is nice because it has both easy and difficult components to it. It’s a good way to start increasing the difficulty level for your cat a little bit at a time.

It’s a staple in our house when we have food puzzle parties!

Nina Ottosson Worker Puzzle

Type: Stationary
Difficulty level: Advanced
Buy on Amazon

I love this puzzle because it has a variety of puzzle components. There are pieces your cat can slide, scoot, and spin. The center piece that spins is by far the hardest part, but even if your cat struggles to master that part, there are plenty of easier parts they can solve.

I love to have puzzle-solving races with this one. I’ll fill it up, let one cat out at a time to solve it, and time them to see how long they take. It’s fun to see which cat is fastest, and it’s also fun to see them get faster each time.

As of writing this, Gryphon holds the record!

Pawzler

Type: Stationary
Difficulty level: Beginner to Advanced
Buy on Amazon

The Pawzler puzzles are our newest favorite! These are super fun because they’re modular – meaning the individual pieces can be moved around to create a different puzzle experience every time.

That also makes it easy to adjust the challenge depending on the cat using it—you can create a simpler setup for a beginner or make it more complicated for a more challenging puzzle.

Over time, we have acquired a couple different sets as well as a handful of individual pieces. I think I have as much fun creating different puzzle setups as my cats have solving them!

Check out foodpuzzlesforcats.com for more reviews and suggestions!

Other Cat Food Puzzle FAQs

Can you use wet or raw food in a food puzzle?

Yes! Stationary puzzles with cups, wells, or similar components that can hold food are generally much better suited for wet or raw food than rolling dispensers. Just make sure you’re using a puzzle that’s appropriate for the food you’re offering and clean it thoroughly afterward.

Licki Mats are another great option for wet or raw food.

What if I have multiple cats?

Multiple cats can absolutely use food puzzles, together or separately. You’ll just need to think about the individual cats and the feeding situation.

If you’re simply offering a puzzle as an occasional enrichment activity, your cats may enjoy working on it together. I like having “Food Puzzle Parties” and setting out 3-4 different puzzles for my cats to enjoy together.

If you’re using food puzzles to provide their meals, however, you’ll want to make sure every cat has appropriate access to their food. That may mean providing multiple puzzles and separating cats if necessary.

Be sure to take your cats’ preferences into consideration as well. One cat might love a rolling feeder while another prefers a stationary puzzle.

Can a food puzzle replace the food bowl?

Food puzzles can be used as an occasional (or daily) enrichment activity, but they can also be used to deliver your cat’s meals if you choose to go that direction.

If you decide to start feeding your cat’s regular meals through their food puzzles, I just recommend making the switch gradually. Make sure your cat is confident at solving the puzzles first, and ease them into it by feeding just one of their daily meals in a puzzle at first.