Easy forgaging toys for beginners

[saharahoshi]

Hi,
We are trying to get our 1 year old to forage. We ordered the Fundamentally Feline Starter kit and use special treats/kibble to entice but no dice. Anyone have any products that have worked for them? We are trying to avoid homemade ones bc he JUST turned 1 and gets into everything!

 

[maggie101]

Are you looking for something for her to play with when you cant?

 

[moxiewild]

Hey, hadn’t heard of that one before, neat! Super simple concept!

Honestly, there are loadssss of toys like this on the market! We have a huge collection at our house!

Just search for “treat puzzle toy” or “food puzzle toy” on Amazon. Most dog ones work too.

As far as “beginner” introductions, I consider the egg and ball type toys in that starter kit fairly beginner. We have about five ball or egg shaped toys that do essentially the same thing.

One simple option is to pick a certain area of the house, and hide treats around that area, and that area alone. Put treats out in the open (make him jump around to varying heights if possible), and also hidden under something he can easily move, like under a paper towel, paper plate, toy, etc.

The first few times you do it, you will likely need to have him watch you do it. So pick where you want treats beforehand, and then run around the room quickly placing them in those spots as he eagerly follows you and eats the treats.

Use a specific phrase and gesture to consistently signal when it’s hunting time. Eventually he will learn what it means and start searching that specific area of the room.

“Snuffle mats” (do a separate search for these!) are another beginner option, but depending on if your cat is a chewed of fabric, you may not want to leave it out u supervised. Every once in a while, we’ll get a cat that pees on it too, so watch that as well!

I would also consider some “slow feeder pet bowl/puzzle/toys” to be pretty beginner, so search that on Amazon, as well.

Hide boxes that aren’t too difficult can also be good for beginners. Here’s some examples -

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0006VMN4O/?tag=thecatsite (this one is the easiest, and you can use toys, treats, or both at the same time! We love this one! Unfortunately, it doesn’t appear available on Amazon anymore, but google the brand and name, and you can find it available for purchase elsewhere. Also, I know you said you didn’t want to DIY, but this one is super cheap and easy to make yourself!)

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00X19YMT2/?tag=thecatsite (remove the toy and replace with treats)

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00X19YMT2/?tag=thecatsite (a little more difficult as it includes a maze, but still relatively beginner)

Off the top of my head, these are also good for beginners -

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B015P13QMM/?tag=thecatsite

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00D3NI31Y/?tag=thecatsite (best modified to weigh it down)

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00RCUDURG/?tag=thecatsite

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007DOS9C2/?tag=thecatsite

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003TOO5PA/?tag=thecatsite (both the “Turn Around” and “Tunnel Feeder”)

Also, while not a foraging toy, “lick mats” can still provide similar enrichment when used sparingly.

If your kitty doesn’t understand the treat balls you have now, then aim for puzzles where food can be clearly seen, and easily touched. This helps some of them to “get it” better.

Also ensure you have a high reward treat kitty LOVES while teaching him! Preferably something stinky!

Purebites chicken treats are always a hit. Vital Essentials I believe sells freeze dried chicken hearts that you can cut up into little pieces that are VERY stinky! Temptations treats are another treat that cats seem to love, and are also more easily accessible.

You can do a sort of clicker training to help too (use a click of a pen, not an actual clicker - too loud for cats). If he pays attention to the toy, then click, praise, treat. The more he interacts with it, do the same thing.

But if your kitty isn’t particularly food motivated, he may not take to toys like this.

If he is play or toy motivated though, you can work with that too and do something similar.

Some options for that include the peek-and-play type boxes I linked above, the ripple rug, cat tunnels, and things like the “Sheer Fun for Cats” mat are great for things like this. So are a lot of electric/automatic interactive toys!

For general entertainment if he’s seemingly bored, Da Bird is a pretty much universally loved toy, especially for young cats.

Young cats also adore cat tunnels, and you would be surprised how much they can entertain themselves just by zooming around in them.

And finally, ball track toys and towers are usually a hit with young ones too, so you may want to look into those as well!