Updated January 3, 2021
What to do when your cats are bored
Hunt for Food
This is a great game for cats who need to lose weight. Hide dry cat food or treats inside food-dispensing toys (see examples below).
Funkitty Egg
Snacky Mouse
Kibble Nibble
Catitsense
Begin by placing the toys in plain sight near the food bowl. Gradually move toys away from the food bowl and into more challenging places for your cat to find.
The simplest are empty toilet paper or paper towel rolls. Close one end with masking tape (masking tape will not hurt paws or face if it gets stuck and needs to be pulled off). A complex version of the cardboard rolls uses hot glue to attach the rolls together, and then mounting them in a cardboard box.
Change out toys every two to three weeks, or hide them inside empty boxes to keep the novelty of the game going.
Be sure to decrease the cat’s normal daily food amount by the amount that you are placing in the toys, to keep calorie intake the same. Cats will generally lose weight because they are now expending more energy in acquiring their food.
Be sure that your cat can get the food out with reasonable effort, and be sure that you know where you hid the toys. You do not want to find them months later, after the food has gone bad!