my cat all of a sudden eats puzzles!

We've had our two cats for about a year. I've always done puzzles on the wooden floor of the bedroom (it's the most reasonable location in the house, since smooth surface spaces are limited. I've always done this with no problem, but all of a sudden a few months ago one of the cats started tearing them up whenever he walked by! He'll scratch them like a cardboard scratching thing, and also picks up pieces in his mouth to toss away (he seems to have no interest in actually eating them). We really have no idea how to stop this behavior, and for now have taken to laying a blanket over the puzzles when not in use. Is there any advice out there for us?

Thank you!

Shut the door to the room while the puzzle's out. It sounds like he knows you put a lot of attention to this and simply wants to be part of it somehow. Much like how many cats have to lay on your keyboard, book, or get into whatever project you're working on the minute you turn your back.

Originally Posted by geuh

I've always done this with no problem, but all of a sudden a few months ago one of the cats started tearing them up whenever he walked by! He'll scratch them like a cardboard scratching thing, and also picks up pieces in his mouth to toss away

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Your cat found a new toy. Covering it with a blanket will make it more challenging and fun for your kitty. Other than finishing your puzzles in record time, framing them, and hanging them so the cats can't get to them, I would not leave the puzzles unattended. I used to do puzzles too, the cats ended up sleeping on them after kneading the area and tossing away the pieces they found not comfy enough for their nap.

^ A blanket still allows the cat to knead around. I just thought of this, though, - What about a large piece of cardboard or a box to cover the puzzle with?

Originally Posted by strange_wings

^ A blanket still allows the cat to knead around. I just thought of this, though, - What about a large piece of cardboard or a box to cover the puzzle with?

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Ha! I tried this at my house, well I tried it with foam board covering the puzzle and heavy things on top of the foam board. It worked for a while till I found it peed on, knocked over and puzzle pieces all over the floor. I'm giving up puzzles I'm so mad about it.

Originally Posted by howtoholdacat

Ha! I tried this at my house, well I tried it with foam board covering the puzzle and heavy things on top of the foam board. It worked for a while till I found it peed on, knocked over and puzzle pieces all over the floor. I'm giving up puzzles I'm so mad about it.

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That's a pretty strong message! I wonder what would happen next if you tried another puzzle?

I've generally found that cats and puzzles don't go together too well. Dogs and puzzles generally go together badly too, but dogs tend to be more into eating the pieces if you drop one. I had a puzzle ~90% done once and got up to go to the bathroom. When I came back, Promise was on top of the puzzle and when I tried to shoo her off, she started running and the puzzle folded up behind her and fell onto the floor destroyed. It looked like something out of a cartoon because she was moving, but not going anywhere while the puzzle slid out from under her.

In your situation, my recommendation is to get a puzzle tray/mat. That way, when you're not working on the puzzle you can store it safely away from prying feline paws.

Here's an example of a mat

And here's a pretty serious tray

I've had this problem, too, and I think puzzles are so relaxing - until the cat comes by. My Gray Gray (no longer with me) used to take a running jump and slide over them just to see the pieces scatter.

I always wondered how those roll-up mat things work.