Senior Cat Comfort & Care

What the heck is a food puzzle? It's really any feeding option (for meals or treats) that's harder than "stick face in bowl, open mouth, eat." Food puzzles are fantastic mental enrichment.

Brainwork burns calories and provides cats with the satisfaction of “hunting” for their food. There are lots of options, purchased and DIY, to fit your senior cat's special needs.

Start with treats in the food puzzle. If that goes well, you can try giving part of your cat's daily meal in the food puzzle, as long as they have a healthy appetite. If your senior isn't eating well, you don't want to make it harder for them.

The trick is to start easy and use a high-value treat. It's got to be worth the effort and shouldn't be frustrating. As they get good at it, try increasing the difficulty. Many adjustable food puzzles are designed so you can make them harder or easier by changing the opening size.