Purr-plexed by puzzle toys for cats? A veterinary behaviorist weighs in

Earlier this year, I wrote about the benefits of puzzle toys for dogs. But the feline owners here at Yahoo wondered — do cats like puzzle toys too? After speaking to a veterinary behaviorist, I found out that the answer is yes! Products like these give cats a chance to play, hunt, stalk and eat in a more natural way, and they may be more enriching for your fur baby's life than you realize.

Puzzle toys are important for a cat's mental health

Dr. Andrea Y. Tu, DVM, is chief of veterinary behavior services at the Heart of Chelsea Veterinary Group in New York City and a cat owner herself. She treats animals for issues like separation anxiety, reactivity and other behavioral challenges and told me puzzle toys are one of her favorite enrichment tools, for cats as well as dogs.

Put plainly, pets get bored. Think about it: A dog wakes up, eats, goes for a walk, plays with a few toys, naps — that's the daily regimen. Cats do that too, but don't usually go outside. They're confined to the walls of your home (as they should be, Tu adds, noting that outdoor cats have a much lower life expectancy). With that in mind, "We need to make sure that we are providing them with outlets and experiences that will really enhance their existence," she says.

To let your cat outside safely, you can put it on a leash (good luck with that!) or invest in a catio, a screened enclosure that makes it safe for your kitty to sniff and enjoy the outdoors. But you should also offer your cat more enrichment, in the form of puzzle toys.

Tu explains that, similar to dogs, cats have the desire to stalk prey, "so giving them those opportunities to hunt and mimic how they naturally would eat is just as important for them as it is for dogs. And several really unique products out there try to mimic this."

You can feed your cat with puzzle toys

Rather than leave food out for your cat in a bowl, consider how cats naturally eat. In the wild, they would have multiple small meals per day — around 12, Tu says — and they'd also hunt, mostly at night. That's why many cats are more active around their humans' bedtime, and why they might wake you up at 4 a.m. with the zoomies, ready to eat again.

If you have a puzzle toy (or even multiples) with food for them to access when you're in bed, they can eat and play, and it's probably going to save you some sleep, Tu explains. She adds that obesity can be an issue with pets, so giving them several smaller meals via these types of toys "feeds them in a way that is closer to their natural instincts" and can help stave off overeating while also addressing any enrichment deficits in a cat's life. "Having these little kinds of activity-based ways to feed your animals gives them the mental stimulation they need," she says, "and it also allows them to do the manipulation that normally comes from hunting prey."

How to choose a good puzzle toy

One puzzle Tu recommends is Doc & Phoebe's Cat Co. Indoor Hunting Cat Feeder, which also comes in a set.

"What is the ideal cat meal? A mouse, and they should be eating multiple little mice throughout the day," she notes. "So you can hide this product around your house, then they can really kind of mimic how a cat naturally would feed. I do find that a lot of my patients enjoy this."

Tu notes that this is for dry kibble or treats, so for cats that eat wet food, there is a similar version.

Another puzzle toy she likes is the Trixie Cat Activity Mat. It's silicone — translation: easy to clean — and has several areas to place food that require a cat to work to get at it. There are small, fish-bowl-shaped containers that require scooping, a tunnel for swatting and stretching, and more, including areas where you can add wet food.

The Trixie mat "is great because they really are using their paws," she says, adding that the brand makes a few other puzzle toys for cats as well. The one pictured below, however, is Tu's "classic standby and it doesn't take up a lot of space." You can also hide kibble or treats in a snuffle mat or spread wet food on a lick mat.

Give your cat more space to explore

In addition to puzzle toys, Tu says it's important to give cats unique spaces to explore, and notes that if you have multiple cats, they're most comfortable if they have a little space of their own.

You can do this by setting up an outdoor catio or by adding a cat tree or shelving to your indoor space. "Companies like Catastrophic Creations have these cool, different bridges and wall [shelving] that your cats can hang out in and climb upon, and it just creates an additional world for them. It's like doubling your apartment size without actually buying another apartment," Tu says.

Keep in mind, of course, that cats will be cats — which means they may not immediately engage with whatever you put in front of them. But that too is OK and can even be somewhat enriching. "When you're playing with your cat with a toy, and your cat is just lying there and looking, and you're like, 'Nothing's happening.'" Don't be quick to give up, Tu stresses, because "something is happening — your cat's watching that toy like you watch Netflix." In other words, it's probably entertained.

Ready to amp up your cat's fun? Take a look at a few more top-rated puzzle toys and spaces for them to explore.

The reviews quoted above reflect the most recent versions at the time of publication.

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