Does Your Cat Need a Job?

We just published a post about canine enrichment in the form of food puzzles. Did you know that our feline friends thrive with enrichment as well? I learned about feline enrichment the hard way.  Who knew that cats would misbehave when bored? I sure didn’t. Slinky was our first cat and his shenanigans were “extra”. We even had to hire a cat sitter to sleep over while we were away. Left to his own devices, there would have been a lot of kitty smash destruction moments. Lucky for me, my misbehaving cat is what led me to becoming a professional dog (and cat) trainer. 

Slinky needed a job and became gainfully employed through enrichment. Providing enrichment for your cat may help dial down your cat’s energy levels and give him a positive outlet for his natural feline behaviors. 

Play Enrichment

Playing with the Go Cat Da Bird  and the Cat Dancer really tire my cat out quickly. He crouches then soars through the air pouncing on the “prey”. Play with these and let your cat “catch and kill” the toy every so often.  Doing this prior to feeding your cat may help him calm down after meals. 

If your cat could use some zip before playtime, try catnip bubbles!

Need the equivalent of a child’s coloring book (or iPad) for a hands free way to tire your cat out? Try the Tower of Tracks Cat Toy , Kicker Toys, and a DIY plastic shoe box filled with two inches of water and floating toys such as bottle caps. Your cat can entertain himself with these while you catch up on your life.

Feeding Enrichment

I do not free feed my cat, meaning I do not leave food in a dish for my cat at all times.  He is fed wet food twice a day and given Churu paste throughout the day.  I used to feed him kibble throughout the day, but old man kitty had all of his teeth removed due to dental decay.

When Slinky was younger with teeth, he would work for his kibble in different ways.  His kibble would be used for training, and sometimes placed inside the PetSafe Slim Cat.

My favorite way to feed kibble is to fill and hide the Doc & Phoebe’s Indoor Hunting Cat Feeder throughout a cat tree. 

Have a cat who’s curious about water? Collect bottle caps to place kibble or Churu paste inside the caps. Float the caps inside the DIY cat pool mentioned above.

Wet food and Churu paste may be smeared onto a lickimat or into a maze bowl. Think of these food puzzles as your cat’s daily Wordle!

The products we recommend are always ones we use ourselves or ones that our clients have used and love. Links to the products earn us zero commission.

Dedicating a few minutes throughout the day to enriching your cats’ lives (all nine of them) may improve everyone’s mental health. If you’re interested in training plans and explanations for your cat’s behavior, read Pam Johnson-Bennett’s, “Think Like a Cat” and contact us!