Paws Whiskers & Claws, The Feline Hospital

Georgia's premier cat hospital - servicing Marietta, Roswell, Sandy Springs, Atlanta, Vinings, Cumming, Alpharetta, Morningside, Smyrna

(770) 579-6001

4719 Lower Roswell Road, Suite 220
Marietta, Georgia, 30068

Mousin’ Around by Petstages

These cute little mice are such great foraging toys! They are small, easily manipulated, offer appealing textures, and can be picked up and carried around the house just like real prey! They do not hold a lot of food so they are great for portion control as well. They really require some batting around to get the food to dispense and are not quite as easy as one might expect.

 

This post and all of its content is written by and property of Ingrid Johnson, CCBC Certified Cat Behavior Consultant of Fundamentally Feline,LLC.

Cat Amazing

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This foraging box is complex and unique as it offers many different compartments for a unique foraging experience. For those looking for products not made of plastic this is a nice alternative. It is a more challenging stationary toy for the more experienced forager.

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This post and all of its content is written by and property of Ingrid Johnson, CCBC Certified Cat Behavior Consultant of Fundamentally Feline, LLC.

Foraging Wiffle Ball by Fundamentally Feline

Davis modeling for us!
Davis modeling for us!
Close up view of the hole size.
Close up view of the hole size.

The Foraging Wiffle Ball is a good beginner object. The many perforated holes increase scent attraction, it is round so it is easily rolled, and the cat can also see that there is food in the ball since it is not complete opaque. It is only available with one large hole for large kibble for obvious reasons, as it already has many small holes. Some cats hook their nails into the holes and learn to shake out the kibble!

Also available for mail order through FundamentallyFeline.com

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Two of our senior patients foraging for the very first time from a wiffle ball toy. This object is great for beginners and intermediate foragers. The many holes appeal to their sense of smell and they can even hook their nails into the holes and pick up the ball and shake it!

This post and all of its content is written by and property of Ingrid Johnson, CCBC Certified Cat Behavior Consultant of Fundamentally Feline, LLC.

The Fishbowl by Petsafe

The Fishbowl requires some skillful paw action! Some cats will flip this toy over if placed on carpeting. It works best and offers the most challenge on hard flooring. Once the cat becomes adept at using this puzzle it is actually pretty easy. Freeze dried meat pieces makes a nice low calorie option for filler.

 

This post and all of its content is written by and property of Ingrid Johnson, CCBC Certified Cat Behavior Consultant of Fundamentally Feline, LLC.

Slow Feeder Bowls

Do not let the dog photos on the packaging deter you from trying these toys out with your cats.

Cats are quite capable of using these puzzles only they do so in a different way. Dogs lick out these bowls with their tongues where cats scoop the food out with their paws.

These objects are not too terribly difficult however, each different colored bowl provides a different maze/puzzle challenge. The interior portions of the maze are a bit more out of reach and increase the challenge for the cats.

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This post and all of its content is written by and property of Ingrid Johnson, CCBC Certified Cat Behavior Consultant of Fundamentally Feline, LLC.

Catit Foraging Ball

Catit Foraging Ball
Catit Foraging Ball

This foraging ball features an inner maze coupled with an adjustable opening allowing you to alter the difficulty level based on your cat's skill level and the size of the food. This is an excellent beginner toy.

This post and all of its content is written by and property of Ingrid Johnson, CCBC Certified Cat Behavior Consultant of Fundamentally Feline, LLC.

The Fantasy Board by Trixie Pet

The antenna looking devices are actually meant to be pawed at by the cats and essentially catapult the food so that they have to go running to chase the kibble. Great to get an overweight cat moving around more.

The thin channel is called a "tongue module" designed for canned food, an excellent tool to slow down fast eaters.

The large reservoir that holds the ping-pong balls can be used for dry food but can also be used for other enrichment games; for example, fill with water for cats that like to splash around in the sink, they can swat at floating ping-pong balls instead. Or take sprigs of cat grass or fresh catnip and drop them down inside.

Not every foraging experience needs to be about food!

Ping-pongs are an obstacle to obtaining the food.
Ping-pongs are an obstacle to obtaining the food.
Many games in one!
Multiple cats can engage at one time!
Multiple cats can engage at one time!
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This post and all of its content is written by and property of Ingrid Johnson, CCBC Certified Cat Behavior Consultant of Fundamentally Feline, LLC.

The 5 in 1 Activity Center by Trixie Pet (aka Fun Board)

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Initially over stuff puzzle to help them learn.
Initially over stuff puzzle to help them learn.

This toy is amazing, easy to clean and versatile. You can stuff it full of food for beginners or leave it lean for master foragers.

The "tongue module" (the ice cube tray-like portion) is specifically designed for canned food as well as for dry. This module works the feline jaw muscles similarly to how a cat would lick and work to remove flesh from the bones of their prey. The intelligent design takes "whisker stress" into consideration so that the cat's whiskers can freely move without obstruction. This also significantly slows down voracious over-eaters that later vomit undigested canned food.

Here you can see they were successful obtaining food.
Here you can see they were successful obtaining food.

This post and all of its content is written by and property of Ingrid Johnson, CCBC Certified Cat Behavior Consultant of Fundamentally Feline, LLC.

The “Mad Scientist” Foraging Toy by Trixie Pet

Parker using the "Mad Scientist" by Trixe Pet
Parker using the "Mad Scientist" by Trixe Pet

 

This toy is for the advanced forager. Each toy comes with two different sets of lids to accommodate large or small kibble. The holes can also be covered up to increase the challenge based on your cats' skill level.

For slow starters we recommend not putting the lids on at all and filling the "beakers" all the way up so that they can very easily eat off of the top or gently nudge and tip the beaker to obtain food. Once that is successful the lids may be added.

Posing for the camera!
Posing for the camera!

This post and all of its content is written by and property of Ingrid Johnson, CCBC Certified Cat Behavior Consultant of Fundamentally Feline, LLC.