Is anyone using treat dispensing toys to feed their cat?

artgecko

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Hey folks,
I thought I'd ask you guys if anyone has ever tried using treat-dispensing toys to feed their cat/s?

Using similar products for dogs (i.e. kongs, buster cubes, etc) has started to gain popularity with dog owners, but I wasn't sure if it would be as feasable with cats... I certainly see the possible problems with multiple-cat homes.

I started using the "OurPet's play-n-treat" treat balls with my cat about 3 days ago (I have a friend that has been using them to feed her cat all of her dry food for about 4 months now). It seems to be working, in that the cat knows that there is food in them and he can get it out via playing with them... Although he will be "lazy" if given the oppertunity and if he can get someone to dump food in his bowl by begging, he would rather have that than have to get the food out of the balls... They hold about 1/8c. each, so I'm planning on using 2 before I leave for work, then another 2 in the evenings (along with wet food in the morning). I'm *hoping* that this will reduce the amount of begging, as he will eventually learn that begging won't get him any food and he can just get it for himself out of the balls.

It seems that he eats less and slower when he uses the treat balls, which I assume is a good thing... (correct me if I'm wrong). This may not be applicable with cats, but I know with people, you tend to overeat when you eat fast (and not give your stomach the time to tell your brain that you're full)...If that's the case, then it explains why he's eating less.


I just thought that I'd post and get your opinions / experiences with this sort of thing....I will keep you updated on how this "experiment" is going


Art
 

jcat

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It's a great idea, and certainly gives cats more exercise, but it doesn't work with all cats. I tried it about three years ago with Jamie, thinking I'd make him work for his beloved dry food. He'd push the ball around a few times, eat the pieces that fell out, and then wail for his breakfast. I tried a larger ball, figuring the food would fall out easier, but he didn't like that, either. So I gave up.
I'm definitely interested in hearing some updates on your progress.
 

littleraven7726

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those didn't work for us either. nabu had it down to a science--bump it a certain way and kibble would fall right out. he didn't move anything but one arm. raven would wait for nabu to knock the kibble out, then eat it.
so much for exercise.


so, needless to say, we don't use them anymore.
 

emmylou

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If dry food is the only food they're getting, I think it's too frustrating to make them struggle to get at everything they eat, day in and day out. There's a worry that they won't eat enough because they're not good at it or it takes too long.
 

pekoe & nigel

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Originally Posted by emmylou

If dry food is the only food they're getting, I think it's too frustrating to make them struggle to get at everything they eat, day in and day out. There's a worry that they won't eat enough because they're not good at it or it takes too long.
I don't know about that. I mean I assume cats can get bored during the day so at least this would give them something to do and something to work at. But I do agree that if this is their ONLY source of food I'd be a little worried about them getting enough. At least until I knew for sure that they liked the toy and knew how to work it pretty well.

Oh, and my boys don't like the treat dispensing toys. They LOVE their treats, especially Nigel, and even though they know the food is inside for them to get out, they're just disinterested in the toy. Give them a cat-treat bag to gnaw on any day!
 

my2babies

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Originally Posted by littleraven7726

those didn't work for us either. nabu had it down to a science--bump it a certain way and kibble would fall right out. he didn't move anything but one arm. raven would wait for nabu to knock the kibble out, then eat it.
so much for exercise.


so, needless to say, we don't use them anymore.
LOL! My cats never played with any sort of treat/toy. Instead, Blaise perfers to go straight to the source ; the treat jar. I get the little Pounce brand hairball treatment treats. She LOVES them. If she hears it rattle she comes running. It's funny because sometimes I will be in another room and hear her knock it off the table. The last one I bought has a flip top lid and she can't get it off as easy as she used to get the old one off that just popped off. (one day I came home and found she had eatten nearly half of the container with the old lids)

She can play with the container for an hour and still no luck. I think she gets more exercise that way then when I tried to give them toys that had treats in them
 
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artgecko

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Hey folks,
Thought I'd give you an update ~ one week after my first post. So far, so good... He knows how to use the treat balls, he eats almost all of the food everyday (leaves maybe a few pieces in a single ball, but cleans out the other three). He seems to be begging less....Well, begging ME less (the other folks in the house are another story...as they're suckers for the "I'm starving" routine).

At any rate, he still seems to be loosing weight and doesn't seem as despretly hungry throughout the day (i.e. less begging and less insistent begging) as he was when I was feeding him servings of dry food in his bowl. The only time that he really lays it on is in the morning (when he gets wet food).

For me, this seems to be working, but I'll keep you guys updated in the weeks to come.

Art
 
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