There are a variety of cat toys available commercially. Among all, cat puzzle toys are popular among cat owners because they provide mental stimulation and physical activity. One may ask “are cat puzzle toys worth the investment?” The answer is Yes. We’ll explain why and how they are different from regular toys.
Cat puzzle toys are worth the investment over conventional toys because they bring additional benefits like mental stimulation, long-lasting entertainment, and prevention of destructive behaviors. You can leave your cat with some puzzle toys with the satisfaction of knowing that your cat would be occupied for hours.
Conventional cat toys are entertaining for your cat for a limited time and your cat may ignore the toy after a few minutes. Puzzle toys, on the other hand, keep your cat engaged and busy for hours. The smell of treats trapped inside keeps your cat motivated to solve the puzzle and win its reward.
Benefits of Cat Puzzle Toys
Following are some of the prominent benefits of cat puzzle toys.
Mental Stimulation
Mental stimulation is as necessary as physical exercise for the sound health of a cat. Unfortunately, most of the time, the mental health aspect of pets is ignored which can lead to problems. When it comes to mental stimulation, puzzle toys are the most effective gift you can give to your cat.
Puzzle toys are designed in such a way that they require cats to use their mental abilities to win their reward, which is mostly a treat. This serves as a mental challenge for cats and provides an opportunity for mental exercise. This, in turn, prevents boredom and promotes mental well-being in cats.
Prevention of Anxiety and Stress
Cats are sensitive pets. They can get gloomy and anxious over seemingly harmless things. For instance, your cat may suffer from separation anxiety when you’re away for work. It may get stressed for being alone at home. These small problems can become devastating if they are not addressed timely.
Getting your cat some puzzle toys can help it stay busy, preventing separation anxiety. The entertainment and mental enrichment provided by puzzle toys have a positive impact on the mental health of your cat. These prevent anxiety, stress, and negative behaviors and keep your cat in excellent mental health.
Exercise
Puzzle toys provide an opportunity for physical activity and exercise for cats. There are different types of puzzle toys available and if you get an appropriate one for your cat, it will chase its treat around. This will result in your cat running, jumping after the toys and thus fulfilling its exercise requirements.
In short, puzzle toys have a healthy impact on the physical and mental health of your cat.
Factors to consider when buying Cat Puzzle Toys
Buying toys for your cat can be tricky because if you end up buying toys that your cat doesn’t like, that’s money wasted. There are certain things that you should consider when buying puzzle toys for your cat.
Safety of Cat
Safety of your cat should be the first thing to consider when buying toys for your cat. It should have a non-toxic and durable material. It should not break easily, small broken fragments of toys can cause a choking hazard in cats. It shouldn’t injure or harm your cat in any way.
Cat’s Requirements
You should consider your cat’s size and preference when buying puzzle toys. Puzzle toys shouldn’t be too big or too small for your cat; your cat may engulf the smaller one and show no interest in the larger one. Moreover, every cat has a unique personality and it shows even in playtime. Some cats prefer swatting and battering toys while some may show more interest in problem-solving.
Durability and affordability are also two of the factors you should keep in mind when buying puzzle toys for your cat.
5 Best Cat Puzzle Toys
With a vast variety of toys available, it can be tricky to find the best one for your cat. To help you with that, we have listed some of the best cat puzzle toys available online.
TRIXIE Cat Activity Brain Mover, Strategy Game for Mental Stimulation, Interactive Play for Cats, Treat Dispenser, Cat Toy
Cat activity brain mover toy by TRIXIE raises the curiosity of your cat and teaches patience as well. It has 4 modules and a cat has to figure out and fulfill the requirements of each module for winning the reward. In the first module, a cat needs to push the ball through a hole, the second requires moving the sliders, the third involves moving the lever, and the fourth requires moving the drawer.
Each of the modules in TRIXIE cat activity brain mover makes your cat ponder and work for its treat. This provides mental stimulation and physical activity.
Petstages Nina Ottosson Buggin’ Out Puzzle & Play – Interactive Cat Treat Puzzle
Petstages Nina Ottoson bugging-out toy is a great gift for curious cats. It stimulates the natural foraging instincts of a cat. It has 16 compartments that dispense treats. Apart from treats, you can serve food to your cat in this puzzle toy so it can serve as a food bowl as well.
This puzzle toy is made up of non-toxic materials and doesn’t contain any removable parts. So, you don’t need to worry about losing a part of the toy and getting engulfed by your cat.
Catit Senses 2.0 Digger
Catit Senses 2.0 digger is a food and treat dispensing toy that activates your cat’s senses. It can be used with kibble or dry food. Apart from providing mental stimulation, it also helps you control the pace of your cat when eating. If you have a greedy cat that tries to engulf everything instantly, Catit senses toy can be excellent for you to correct your cat’s behavior.
It is easy to clean, simply disassemble and wash it. It is made of non-toxic material and the rubbery base prevents tipping. Get a Catit senses toy and watch your cat enjoy treats.
Petstages Nina Ottosson Melon Madness Puzzle & Play – Interactive Cat Treat Puzzle
Petstages nina ottosson melon Madness puzzle toy stimulates the hunting instincts of your cat. It requires your cat to batter the pegs and swat the seeds to earn the reward. It has 12 compartments where you can hide treats. You can hide different treats in different compartments to make it interesting and enticing for your cat.
You can set the difficulty level of the toy. Place treats in cups for beginners and for experienced cats, and hide treats in a compartment. This provides mental stimulation and keeps your cat busy for hours. You can use this puzzle toy as a food bowl as well.
Petstages Nina Ottosson Rainy Day Puzzle & Play – Interactive Cat Treat Puzzle
Petstages Nina Ottosson rainy day puzzle toy is a bit different from Petstages buggin out toy. It has water drop-shaped lids for compartments that are more appealing to some cats. It has 14 treat dispensing compartments that will keep your cat busy and entertained.
You can use it as a food bowl and choose the difficulty level for your cat. It is easy to clean and doesn’t have any removable parts. It is made up of non-toxic, safe material. The puzzle stimulates your cat’s foraging instincts and provides mental stimulation.
Conclusion
We are sure you now know the answer to “are cat puzzle toys worth the investment?”. The answer is Yes because puzzle toys provide physical activity and mental stimulation and fulfill the foraging instinct of your cat. They are very helpful in keeping your cat busy and entertained for hours, thus preventing stress, anxiety, and other mental health problems.
Make sure you get only the best quality puzzle toys for your cat. Do not offer too many treats through treat dispensing puzzles because these calories will eventually add to the calorie intake and can result in obesity.
