Interactive treat toy for My Kitten

[hbanan]

Hi everyone. I have a 6 month old little one. It doesn't matter how much food is out for him, he loves to chew through his bags of kibble to get to his food. I have ordered a tub to keep the food in, but it occurred to me that he loves the act of hunting for his food. Does any one out there have suggestions on a quality interactive food dispenser that he might like?  Thank you!

 

[alainasmom]

A tub/safely sealed container to keep the kibble in would be the best solution for now. To keep him entertained, you could put out kitty treats/pieces of kibble in different places of your house to provide an entertainment source for your cat. I've tried doing this with Alaina but she never bothers to find the kibble, so I end up having to try to find the stray treats before the bugs get them. 

Are you feeding him two meals a day, as well as both dry/canned kibble? Most cat owners will keep a small bowl of dry food out all day and feed two wet meals, one in the morning and one in the evening. This feeding schedule helps keep them relatively full at all times. Or are you saying that even though he has his bowl of kibble out, he still digs in the bag for more?

As you mentioned, food dispensers also work. There's a thread here on this topic: http://www.thecatsite.com/t/239757/automatic-feeder-recommendations The highest rated one that I found is called the "Pet Feedster" (http://automatedpetfeeder.com/features/product-inf/), but it's pricey. The less expensive ones have a whole host of negative reviews regarding the sturdiness and overall quality of the product. For now, I think keeping the food in a sealed and kitty-safe container would be the best option.

 

[hbanan]

Thanks Alainas Mom! I do feed Oscar both dry and canned food. The canned food is twice a day and I do keep a small bowl of dry food out. It doesn't matter if the bowl is full he will still go for the bag! I think it's more about the "hunting" for the food that he likes. The problem with treats out at random is my other cat, Effie, has very bad food allergies and can't eat most food/treats. I don't want her to get a hold of them.  I'm looking more for those games that are sort of puzzles that you can put treats in and they have to work to get them out. There were few I saw, but are pricey and don't know if they are actually any good. Was just wondering if someone had good experiences with a particular one.

 

[alainasmom]

Sounds like he's just using his hunting instincts. Have you tried the kitty variety of Kong toys (Kitty Kong, Catnip Wobbler, etc.)? They're not very pricey and they should keep him entertained with the treats/kibble for quite a while. Alaina loves her Catnip Wobbler (there's a catnip "tail" hanging out of the toy and you can stuff the treats/kibble inside the toy.

 

[hbanan]

Oh thank you! That looks great. I'll definitely try it

 

[alainasmom]

You're welcome! It might take him a while to choose the toy he likes (we literally have boatloads of toys that Alaina's labeled passe), but I'm sure that when he finds the purr-fect fit he'll love it. Hopefully the digging-for-kibble issues are resolved as well. 

 

[hbanan]

Yes I have a boatload of toys too. I keep meaning to get to the shelter to donate them. He's six months and into everything! I love it.