9 DIY Puzzle Cat Feeders You Can Make Today (With Pictures)
By Luxifa Le
Updated on
Puzzle feeders are a great way to get your cats exercising and keep them mentally stimulated as they go about their day. It’s also a great way to help your cat lose weight or slow down their eating habits if they tend to eat too fast and get sick. Here are some great DIY puzzle feeders you can use to enrich your cat’s life. If you’re a little more advanced, try the intermediate DIY cat puzzle feeder. And if you’re really handy, take a look at the advanced DIY cat puzzle feeder! Let’s get started.
The 9 DIY Puzzle Cat Feeders You Can Make Today
1. Tic Tac Toe Puzzle Feeder
| Experience Level: | Easy |
| Materials Required: | Muffin tin, cardboard, wet or dry cat food |
| Tools Required: | Scissors |
Using a playful variation on the traditional game of Tic Tac Toe will keep your cat guessing which cup their dinner is in. It helps to keep your cat engaged and active because they have to figure out how to obtain the food, and it will also help slow down your cat’s eating because it presents an additional challenge.
To make it more difficult for your cat to find their prize, fill only a few muffin cups with food while leaving the rest empty. As your kitty sniffs around and moves the cardboard to find their food, you will see their hunting instincts come to life.
2. Activity Feeder Board
| Experience Level: | Easy |
| Materials Required: | Empty toilet rolls, cardboard, old plastic tubs |
| Tools Required: | Scissors, glue |
This video tutorial shows how you can quickly and cost-effectively make your own activity feeder board for your cat that is mentally and physically stimulating. You can make this puzzle feeder in minutes, but it will keep your cat occupied for much longer. You can use treats in the toilet roll tubes and wet food in the handy plastic tubs to keep the cardboard from getting soggy.
3. Egg Carton Toy Feeder
| Experience Level: | Easy |
| Materials Required: | Old egg carton, cat toys, cat treats |
| Tools Required: | No tools are required |
This is one of the easiest DIY puzzle feeders you can make for your cat, and all it requires is an old egg carton and some of your cat’s favorite toys. Simply pop a few treats into some of the egg holes, and cover them with a toy or a ball that your cat will need to move out of the way to acquire the treat. It is simple yet effective and will help mentally stimulate your cat while encouraging them to eat slower.
4. Toilet Roll Pyramid Interactive Feeder
| Experience Level: | Easy |
| Materials Required: | Empty toilet rolls |
| Tools Required: | Glue |
This is another quick and easy DIY puzzle feeder that will keep your cat occupied while enabling them to forage for their food and slowing down their eating. Simply stack and glue your toilet rolls in a pyramid shape, and fill some of the tubes with your kitty’s favorite treats. Place it near your cat’s scratching post or climbing tree to encourage more play.
5. Spinning Cat Feeder
| Experience Level: | Easy |
| Materials Required: | Cardboard, magnet, wooden dowel, |
| Tools Required: | Scissors, glue gun |
This puzzle feeder is more for the DIY enthusiast looking for a fun project. The top has a spinning tube that will release a treat or two out of the holes down the side. Once they fall, they will land in a simple maze of cardboard. Your cat must figure out where the food is, then the object spins and releases it.
You will have so much fun watching your cat figure this one out, and it will provide many hours of physical and mental stimulation for your cat.
6. Recycled Puzzle Feeder
| Experience Level: | Easy |
| Materials Required: | Cardboard, toilet paper tubes, plastic cups, egg carton |
| Tools Required: | Glue gun, scissors |
Dinner time can be more fun and interactive with an easy DIY puzzle feeder made from recycled materials. Taking an egg carton, toilet roll tubes, and plastic cups, you strategically place them onto a board that will keep our kitty entertained for ages while enriching their environment. It is super easy to make, and you can complete it in a few minutes.
7. Snuffle Mat Feeder
| Experience Level: | Easy |
| Materials Required: | Sink mat, fabric |
| Tools Required: | Scissors, rotary cutters, ruler, glue gun |
Snuffle mats are great foraging toys for cats. They will encourage your cat to use their sense of smell and forage for their food while keeping them busy and slowing down their eating. You can make this snuffle mat in one solid color or mix and match it for variety. It is an easy project that may require a little patience, but the result is worth it. Your cat will love their snuffle mat, and when they have found and eaten all their food, you can easily wipe it down with a damp cloth to keep it clean.
8. Cheese Crate
| Experience Level: | Medium |
| Materials Required: | Cheese crate, cardboard |
| Tools Required: | Scissors |
This is a simple DIY tutorial that uses a cheese crate. You take a cheese crate, put a cardboard floor in the bottom, and then cut holes into it that can accommodate your cat’s paws. Do ensure that the holes are large enough that the cat can easily pass their paws in and out of the box without getting stuck. Then put some food inside, and let them fish the food out with their paws!
9. Chair Feeder
| Experience Level: | Advanced |
| Materials Required: | Chair with holes in the back, Tupperware cups, Velcro strips |
| Tools Required: | Any required to remove the legs from the chair, adhesive for the Velcro strips |
If you want to get fancy with your DIY skills, you can use this DIY plan that utilizes an old IKEA chair.
To make this project, you need a chair with circular holes in the back. Take the legs off the chair, then attach Tupperware containers to the side with the holes using Velcro strips; make sure to attach them to the inside where your back would sit. Fill the Tupperware containers with food and reattach them to the chair. Place the chair seat side down, and let your cat fish the food out of the Tupperware.
Final Thoughts
DIY puzzle feeders are fun ways to personalize your cats’ items for enrichment. Cats need mental stimulation as much as they need exercise and food. Puzzle feeders are a great way to get your cat moving while they eat and help them maintain good mental and physical health! There are many excellent DIY puzzle feeder ideas out there, and these are just a few of the best ones we were able to find!
Other Projects to Try:
- 10 DIY Cat Scratch Board and Pan Plans You Can Make Today
- 15 DIY Floor-to-Ceiling Cat Tree Plans You Can Make Today (with Pictures)
Featured Image Credit: jessjeppe, Shutterstock
