• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Pets Overload

Pet Care Tips, Reviews & Stories of our Pets

  • Betta Fish Care
  • Cat Care
  • Chinchilla Care
  • Hamster Care
  • Our Family
    • Betta Fish Stories
      • Blub
      • Flub
    • Cat Stories
      • Avery
      • Beau
      • Kalista
      • Walker
    • Chinchilla Stories
      • Gary
    • YouTube Videos
  • Reviews
    • Cat Products
      • Cat Food
      • Cat Grooming
      • Cat Litter
      • Cat Toys, Feeders & Misc.
    • Chinchilla Products
      • Chinchilla Toys & Chews
  • Instagram

Keeping A Cat With Pica Busy: DIY Feeder Toys

August 4, 2017 By Johnny Salib 34 Comments

keeping-a-cat-with-pica-feeder-toy

Hey Pet Parents & Pet Lovers,

Keeping Beau busy can get tricky, but we’ve got it pretty much under control now. We play with Beau about 30-minutes every day, have 5 feeder toys around the house to keep him occupied (we split his 1/3 meal between them all) and we make sure to give him plenty of love and attention!

Today I’m going to show you how I make the cardboard box feeder toys that he loves so much!

box-1 1. Take Any Size Cardboard Box

The bigger, the better I usually say. The bigger the box is, the more weight it has, so it makes it less likely for your little one to push the box around the house. It also makes sure that they have a chance at grabbing the kibble or treats inside of the box. If you use a smaller box, you can also weigh it down with larger pebbles, or a desk weight. We’ve tried lighter boxes with Beau and heΒ loses interest if he can’t get his treats (and yes, I know these are teaser toys, but cats need some sort of reward, right?)

box-2

2. Use a Box with a Side Opening

Cats are smart and tend to figure out how to open their toys. Given our trial and error, we found boxes that open from the side last longer with Beau, because he found ways of putting pressure on the top allowing him easy access to the food. He’s discovered this trick with a couple of his other feeder toys, which is why we actually have to put text books on top of them, to make sure he’s actually solving the puzzles instead.

box-33. Use Scissors or a Knife to Cut Holes

Here’s your chance to get creative! Make a bunch of shapes inside of the cardboard. Don’t make them too big though! The ideal size is little bigger than your little one’s paws. The hope is that some kibble (or treats) get stuck behind the cardboard and your kitty has to paw around trying to find them! Make sure you have a few holes that are higher up to let your cat see into the box. Beau will take always look before he paws into a box. (Sometimes boxes scare him for some reason.)When cutting holes make sure that you cut right down to the bottom. If there is a little lip it can cause tremendous difficulty for your little one to get access to the food/treats. At first we thought it might be a good idea, but it really proved wrong when Beau didn’t want anything to do with the toys.

box-5box-44. Fill your new feeder toy with a bit of food (but make sure it’s at the back)

The further the food is from your little one, the more time it takes for them to get the food. It also keeps them busy for a longer amount of time. Your little one will make periodic visits to the box to see if it has been refilled (or to collect food that s/he has missed.)

5. Make Sure to Throw Out Boxes Every So Often

Not does this create new challenges for your kitty, cardboard also soaks up a lot of the oil that’s inside of kibble and treats. It’s pretty gross to think about, but that’s just how the world works, am I right? Your box may also collect debris or hair (like any other product in your house) and since most cardboard boxes are free (since you get them everywhere) there shouldn’t be an issue with changing your boxes around every so often! Keep your pet busy, healthy and safe!

box-6

Watch Beau Eat:

So! What do you think? I know a lot of our readers are wet feeders, but sometimes our little ones won’t eat wet or need something to keep them busy throughout the day. I have a couple new toys I want to make and I want to know if you would find that interesting! Lemme know in the comments below!

Filed Under: Beau, Cat Care, Cats, Pet Care

Related Posts

  • Stevie the Cat Cuddles For 10-Minutes (Cute Cat Video)Stevie the Cat Cuddles For 10-Minutes (Cute Cat Video)
  • Why Your Cat Keeps Knocking Things Over/Off Tables & How to Make Them StopWhy Your Cat Keeps Knocking Things Over/Off Tables & How to Make Them Stop
  • Beau Loves His Sunlight!Beau Loves His Sunlight!
  • Why Do Cats Bite and How Do I Stop It from Happening?Why Do Cats Bite and How Do I Stop It from Happening?

LIKE WHAT YOU READ?

You can use the form below to receive an e-mail whenever we have a new update.

About Johnny Salib

Johnny is a twenty-something-year-old pet blogger and the proud pet parent of two cats and a chinchilla. He also writes music directly aimed to help keep cats chilled out and stress free.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Laila and Minchie says

    August 5, 2017 at 6:56 pm

    Hi Beau! Zoey from The Island Cats sent us over! We love what you did to that box! Our mom said she’s going to make one for us too.

    Reply
    • Johnny Salib says

      August 6, 2017 at 1:22 am

      Yay! Welcome to our blog <3 We love Zoey & The Island Cats so much <3 And yes, do it! Take photos and show us when you do xo

      Reply
  2. Brian Frum says

    August 5, 2017 at 6:42 pm

    My Dad puts together something like that and then Brother Simon at the box, literally, the little guy loves cardboard. Of course we would love to see whatever you make!

    Reply
    • Johnny Salib says

      August 6, 2017 at 1:21 am

      Cardboard is so handy! And we have so much of it in the house!

      Reply
  3. Margaret Elmendorf says

    August 5, 2017 at 6:02 pm

    That is a great idea. I sure think we will try that. Thanks for that idea. Have a good week end.

    Reply
    • Johnny Salib says

      August 5, 2017 at 6:37 pm

      No worries at all! <3 Glad you're gonna try it yourselves!

      Reply
  4. Noodle says

    August 5, 2017 at 5:23 pm

    That’s a great idea!
    Hope you have a wonderful weekend…

    Noodle and crew

    Reply
    • Johnny Salib says

      August 5, 2017 at 6:36 pm

      Thanks Noodle! Have a great one too <3

      Reply
  5. Tamago says

    August 5, 2017 at 3:51 pm

    What a great idea. Looks like Beau is having tons of fun πŸ™‚ We play food games using freeze-dried raw meat. One of the food game items is large paper bag filled with tissues. I hide food in tissues and my boys go hunt it πŸ™‚

    Reply
    • Johnny Salib says

      August 5, 2017 at 5:09 pm

      That’s also such a great idea, although I’m certain Beau would try to eat the tissue! (Silly kitteh!)

      Reply
  6. Mary Kirkland says

    August 5, 2017 at 1:34 pm

    What a great idea.

    Reply
    • Johnny Salib says

      August 5, 2017 at 5:09 pm

      Thanks Mary! πŸ˜€

      Reply
  7. Pipo/Angel-Minko/MrJackFreckles says

    August 4, 2017 at 11:14 pm

    That looked like a lot of fun for Beau!

    I had some treat toys for the kitties, but dog-guy decided he wanted them…what a party pooper he can be..maybe now, he has become furry picky about his noms maybe he would leave the kitty treat ball alone…will have to try it and find out.

    Reply
    • Johnny Salib says

      August 5, 2017 at 12:36 am

      Haha Dog guy sounds like Walker. Walker used to always steal ALL my food! – Beau

      Reply
  8. caren gittleman says

    August 4, 2017 at 8:42 pm

    Great idea! I have made similar things with boxes like you, and I have used empty butter containers (I make sure when they are cut that they are not sharp.) I also have something that was given to me called a “Bat-A-Rat”, we put Cody’s “snack” in it every night. To be honest? PICA is so much a behavioral thing that Cody will STILL start chewing whatever he can when he feels that food or snacks are not coming when he wants them. I think the feeders are a temporary fix. (At least for my cat)

    Reply
    • Johnny Salib says

      August 4, 2017 at 10:58 pm

      Yeah for sure. I feel like Pica is a very ongoing issue that you have to continue changing your tactics with. But we will always do our best for Beau <3

      Reply
  9. Ellen Pilch says

    August 4, 2017 at 8:29 pm

    That is a great idea.

    Reply
    • Johnny Salib says

      August 4, 2017 at 10:56 pm

      You gonna try it out?

      Reply
  10. The Island Cats says

    August 4, 2017 at 6:24 pm

    That’s an easy DIY feeder toy. We also have used empty plastic water bottles. Using an exacto knife, cut small holes in the bottle, fill with treats, and there you go!

    Reply
    • Johnny Salib says

      August 4, 2017 at 7:54 pm

      We haven’t tried that one before (We’re a plastic bottle free house, so it’s rare that you’ll find one here!) But we’re gonna try that out with a toilet paper/paper towel tube!

      Reply
  11. Crystal Stewart says

    August 4, 2017 at 6:19 pm

    Make a birdfeeder out of a box-interesting. How many times do you feed your cats? We leave feed our cat when she needs it. However, we give her wet food only once a day.

    Reply
    • Johnny Salib says

      August 4, 2017 at 7:55 pm

      We feed our little one 3-times a day, leaving him food in multiple feeders. One meal is a table spoon of pumpkin, then the second is 1/6 of kibble and the third is also 1/6 of kibble.

      Reply
  12. Cathy Keisha says

    August 4, 2017 at 5:01 pm

    You know how to work it to get the treats, don’t you, Beau? I’d never do that. As it is TW says I won’t even walk over to my food. She has to bring it to me. Autumn used to eat the rug. Pop called her a goat. MOL!

    Reply
    • Johnny Salib says

      August 4, 2017 at 6:11 pm

      Oh no! I have to work for my food every night! If I don’t daddy doesn’t give in…! -Beau

      Reply
  13. mommakatandherbearcat says

    August 4, 2017 at 4:42 pm

    This is a fantastic idea! I try to play with Bear every day – because when he gets bored, things start getting messy around here. I tried several homemade puzzle feeders and Bear quickly loses interest. If you’re interested in any of them … this is the post: http://mommakatandherbearcat.blogspot.com/2016/04/claws-and-fangs-at-play-homemade-edition.html.
    Because Bear didn’t like the food option, I used toy micey instead – but you can easily use food too.
    {Sorry about the pictures … I’m still working on updating them}

    Reply
    • Johnny Salib says

      August 4, 2017 at 6:12 pm

      Will have to check some of these out! I’m currently coming up with some new ideas to vary his play toys. Plus, we’ve got so many boxes in the house now!

      Reply
  14. The Swiss Cats says

    August 4, 2017 at 4:39 pm

    What a great way to keep him busy ! Claire uses freeze-dried raw food for feeder toys. Purrs

    Reply
    • Johnny Salib says

      August 4, 2017 at 6:10 pm

      Ooo! I love freeze-dried raw food! We sometimes hide primal for the little ones πŸ˜€

      Reply
  15. Madi and Mom says

    August 4, 2017 at 11:02 am

    Beau my handsome friend you have very creative peeps to think up all these activities…so what is your pica craving? I’ve heard all kinds of things from other kitties
    Hugs madi your bfff

    Reply
    • Johnny Salib says

      August 4, 2017 at 12:18 pm

      My favourite it tissue paper, but I also love plastic, rubber, cotton, feathers, latex… you name it, I’ve eaten it! – Beau

      Reply
  16. Colehaus Cats says

    August 4, 2017 at 10:55 am

    What a fun and great idea! Anything that stimulates minds and rewards with a treat is awesome in our book! Thanks for sharing this!

    Reply
    • Johnny Salib says

      August 4, 2017 at 10:57 am

      No worries at all! Gotta share what we’ve tried to keep Beau busy :’)

      Reply
  17. Loulou says

    August 4, 2017 at 10:02 am

    Very nice way to make a smashing box!!! Am visiting because the Island Cats sent me….
    May I suggest (my mama if a graphics type person) that you make your typeface darker? It is very difficult to read your blog and I WANT to whenever I can.
    Hello from Loulou at livingwithloulou.

    Reply
    • Johnny Salib says

      August 4, 2017 at 10:40 am

      I will try my best to code that! πŸ™‚ Thanks for the input and welcome, welcome, welcome!

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

About | Friends | Advertise | Contact
Pets Overload is a personal blog run by a twenty-something year old pet owner from Toronto, ON.

Is Vinegar Safe for Cats to Eat? Should I Clean with Vinegar or Will It Make My Cat Sick?

Our Favourite Chinchilla Chew Toys

Why Do Cats Run Away and What Do I Do If Mine Does Run Away?

© 2016–2021 Pets Overload.
Written by Johnny Salib brought to you by Kispow OÜ

Privacy Policy.