Saw this reposted article today:
I love Dr. Mikel Delgado, self-proclaimed cat geek. I was fortunate enough to have attendinded a talk she did about shelter cays at the 2019 Cat Camp NYC, as well as some of the webinars she’s presented.
In my work as a cat sitter, I frequently suggest to clients to add food puzzles, slow feeders, and other forms of food-related enrichment. I think they help to decrease boredom and stress when their people are away, and they can help slow down cats that eat too quickly and then regurgitate food immediately after – or even in the middle of – eating. This study doesn’t contradict that.
I like these tools, but they’re also not appropriate for all cats, like cats that aren’t food-motivated, that don’t have much appetite, and if the puzzles are too hard for them. Cats each have their own talents and skill levels and set-ups that work best for them.
I was humbled this summer when I put out what I consider to be a relatively easy food puzzle for my own cat, Olaf, (this one, which can work well for most cats, rabbits, and Guinea pigs, too). It has big pieces, and you just have to lift them up to get to the food. You could tip it over or knock it around to dislodge the pieces, too. No manipulating things, not much thinking needed to get to the food, easy to cclean. I’d never had a per have a problem with it… until I gave it to Olaf. I was mortified to come home after a long work day to a hungry cat and a full, untouched food puzzle. Ahhhhhhhh. At least he’s pretty and fluffy. My poor magnificent beast did not have the brain cell that day. Ok, he’s not orange, but he still needs a turn with it sometimes! In my defense, ten years ago, a young Olaf would have gotten into it and inhaled the food within seconds. But Olaf is now about 16, a super senior, and he doesn’t have that young cat’s drive and urgency for food.
Before immediately spending money on a new food puzzle or slow feeder, I often suggest trying inexpensive diy options first to test out the waters. A muffin tin, either upside-down or right side up, can work well as a slow feeder. Some people put a golf ball in their cat’s dry food dish to slow them down. Instead of one food dish, there could be a few smaller portions of food put in different areas, so the cat has to walk from one dish to the next, to encourage eating slower and to get them moving.
There’s also lick mats, and I like them a lot for most cats. Licking is therapeutic for cats, so licking their wet food or wet treats off of a lick mat can be calming rather than frustrating, and reduce stress from being at home alone.
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