Hey Pet Parents & Pet Lovers,
A lot of things might have brought you to this page. I know our little one has specific needs when it comes to food and entertainment, so we actually did a lot of work trying to find toys to keep Beau occupied and could help teach him to ration his food.
Beau was a stray which meant he would scarf down his meals at an alarming pace. Even though Beau was the only cat (as we separated him and Walker for weeks before introducing them), but that didn’t change the fact that he wanted to eat all of his food in one go. So the first investment was the Catit Senses 2.0 Food Tree and it was a pretty good start. When Beau eats from a bowl he eats about a 1/3 cup in 5 to 10-minutes, however with this feeder it takes Beau around 40 to 45 minutes. When Beau was first learning how to use the feeder it took him about an hour to eat a 1/3 cup. (Our little ones learn quick, eh?)
So I decided to invest in a tube feeder. I can’t seem to find the one I have online anymore, but Catit has one that is similar to it. This is one of Beau’s favourite feeders we have. Beau really likes to dig in dirt (one main reason we can’t have plants in the house) and he loves to paw at toys, so tubes are a perfect fit for him. I actually forgot to put some kibble in his tubes one night and he followed me around the house crying as if I had forgot to feed him all together! This toy takes Beau about 45-minutes to an hour to finish, however he always leaves some kibble inside of it for the next day. (This toy works better for Beau than it does for Walker as Beau digs for the kibble one-by-one, and Walker grabs a whole bunch out at once.)
As mentioned in a previous review, the SlimCat Ball is my absolute favourite toy as it keeps both of our little ones active for about an hour (or sometimes longer.) I won’t go on too much about it since I’ve already gone in depth with it in the past, but seriously… 5/5!
My next favourite feeder toys are the food mazes. These are great for both dogs and cats! They provide the same difficulty as the tubes and they are what actually got Beau to start picking up kibble one by one (as pulling the kibble would drop the kibble into the next part of the “maze.” These come in a variety of shapes and sizes as not all fur babies’ preferences are the same.
I have been thinking about getting Beau one of the TRIXIE Tunnel Feeders, because he seems to enjoy the box feeders we made for him. It also looks similar to the toys we’ve tried with Beau so I’m sure there’s nothing I need to worry about. (As you can tell, I’m pretty obsessed with trying new things to keep Beau occupied. He’s a sweet snuggle-muffin, but it’s pretty scary to think that if he gets bored he’ll chew on our bed sheets.)
I’ve also found a bunch of really cool toys like the Mad Scientist for Cats. Unfortunately, our local store doesn’t stock too many of these awesome designs, so I didn’t even know that they existed. Hopefully I’ll be able to get one in the near future and I’ll tell you if our little one likes it or not.
So here’s where I ask. What feeder toys do you have? Do you find them effective? Is there really no wrong answer? Lemme know in the comments below.
Who knew there were so many different feeders? Great post! We feed Angel and Chuck wet food, so don’t have any experience with a feeder to give you.
There are SOOO many feeders! I’m still sifting through them. I know what I wanna get Beau for his birthday 😉
dood…eye get 1/4 can wet in the AM and again in the PM so that helpz a bit with my kibble intake…..de food servizz gurl haza wackee werk schedule N itz never de same frum day ta day sew eye free feed …just in case sum thin comez up N her canna get home rite away… knot sure a feeder wood werk for me ???? how ever; eye due eat way LESS kibble now that eye am on grain free 🙂 ♥♥
Aww little one! Well I’m glad to know that you enjoy the wet food! Beau’s not super into it unfortunately 🙁
We love Trixie products ! We have two of them : http://www.swisscatblog.ch/en/2016/10/how-to-occupy-your-cat-and-improve-his-well-being-13/ Purrs
Trixie seems pretty amazing! I unfortunately don’t own any, but my sister says she just got a few she loves.
How funny we saw that toy on the left on my Cat from Hell last weekend.
Hugs madi and mom
ooh! I’ve heard of that show! Actually, that reminds me to see if I can get it here!
I had no idea there were so many creative feeders for cats, but I’ve never had the need to look for one. That food tree looks pretty interesting and would keep a kitty occupied for quite a while. Raven would like a feeder that dispenses her canned food at 5am, warmed, and stirred. 🙂
I actually wonder if there are any feeders specifically for wet foods. I know that there are some warmer bowls or chill bowls, but good to know that your little one is enjoying her nummy time!
I had no clue there were such a variety of innovative feeders for felines, however I’ve never wanted to search for one. That sustenance tree looks entirely intriguing and would keep a kitty involved for a long time…
The feeder tree is really sweet! I love it. And yeah, there are sooo many!
We started feeding my dog Honey from feeder toys (actually started with a bottle filled with food and turned upside down for her to knock over) since she was 8 weeks old. I think all pets should have stimulating meal times.
Love your list. I’m always looking for good ideas for gifts for my kitty “nephew.” I see some cool food toys in Norman’s future.
Really good idea. I had never thought about bottles as feeders. We have a couple we’re planning on making and trying with Beau, but man is it so much easier to just buy and try 😉
I agree! Stimulating feeding times are so important!
We’re mostly wet food over here. But when I do give a little dry, I have that first tower you show.
Isn’t it an awesome toy? I absolutely love it!
Wow! What a lot of different and interesting feeding systems. We used to need s special bowl for the dog-guy…
Thanks for this survey.
Moblile toys are not working for us,cause dog-guy will grab them and empty them as well, MOL! Maybe as tower…right now we might only want one for boredom control,as portion control is not an issue here at the moment.
We’ve never even heard of some of these feeders!
Haha! Yeah I’ve noticed the slimcat ball tends to get destroyed by dogs pretty quick. We have a friend Rosie who broke two of ours!! 🙁