I keep hearing about foraging toys-what are they?

Foraging Toys are food dispensing objects that allow one or two pieces of kibble to fall out at a time, rewarding your cat for their efforts and perseverance. They are a great way to enrich your cats’ indoor environment as well as appeal to their natural hunting instincts and prey drive.

Studies show that a lack of mental stimulation can results in up to 30% loss of brain function over time. This is true for many species including humans. It is important to continue to learn new things and be challenged and that is exactly what foraging does for cats. Many behavior problems stem from boredom, frustration and stress. So providing an ever changing and challenging home environment makes for smarter, happier cats.

Many clients say “My cat will never do that,” or “my cat is not smart enough.” You may be surprised at how well they take to the concept. Here are a few tips to get your kitty foraging: start off with clear containers with a lot of holes (an old water/soda bottle works great!). Use a pocket knife or box cutter to create a hole that is respective to the size food you are going to fill it with and then fill it up! Fill the object at least ½ way full because when they are almost empty it is very challenging to get the final pieces. You want to make it easy and allow them to be rewarded easily and frequently. You can increase the challenge by advancing to opaque objects, objects with fewer holes, and finally cubes. Be sure to offer a food that is different than what is in your cats’ food bowl, it needs to be motivating! We recommend the Science diet dental diets or hairball control foods as they are very palatable.

Foraging toys for cats are a relatively new concept and it will, unfortunately, be hard to find any store bought toys. There are a variety of toys available here at Paws Whiskers and Claws, and many home-made toys that you can make yourself. Next time you are in just ask our behaviorist, Ingrid Johnson, and she will give you some tips on how to make your own as well as what to fill them with to make them exciting and keep your kitty motivated to forage

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