go cat go! toy

I don't know if this is the right forum for this question, so mods please move it if necessary...

I bought Holland these a few months ago:



She never showed any interest in them until recently, but now I feel bad because she can smell the treats and although she pushes the ball around with her nose and bats it around, she can't always get the treats to come out.

Is this toy stimulating or torturous? Does anyone else have these? My sister has a Kong one for her and her BF's dog, and he loves it, but it seems to frustrate Holland sometimes... I'm probably just worrying for no reason... I'm such an overprotective mom.

Maybe instead of using it for treats you could put some catnip in it? AND if you don't want a cat nip mess you could shove cotton balls in it after you fill it wit cat nip.

I tried something similar & felt the same way. I found that a yogurt cup works best (exsp Yoplait, sine they are odd shaped), they still have to work for their food, because when they stick their paw it in to get the food it slides around & they have to keep moving.

Hmm, I was actually thinking about getting something like this to make my boys work for their treats. I don't want them getting frustrated though.

If she was getting frustrated she would stop playing with them. It is much more stimulating if she is not getting treats on a consistant basis. Now if it never drops out treats that would be frustratin. My cats actually have a toy called the mini buster cube. It's actually dog toy, but it requires them to roll it several times before any food falls out. They love when I bring these out. These are especially good for very intellegent cats.

http://www.bustercube.com/index.htm

I have one!! Neko Loves it!! I agree, the treats are more oddly shaped and wouldn't come out, frustrating the kitty! Instead I put in some of her dry kibble which falls out nicely. Its so funny watching her play with it. She uses her head to push it around and eat a kibble up and soon as one falls out. I only fill it in the evening. 1/4c kibble in the morning, one 3oz can of food in the early evening, and then kibble/treat ball in the late evening for her bedtime snack and excersicing at the same time!

Originally Posted by silva_unt

I have one!! Neko Loves it!! I agree, the treats are more oddly shaped and wouldn't come out, frustrating the kitty! Instead I put in some of her dry kibble which falls out nicely. Its so funny watching her play with it. She uses her head to push it around and eat a kibble up and soon as one falls out. I only fill it in the evening. 1/4c kibble in the morning, one 3oz can of food in the early evening, and then kibble/treat ball in the late evening for her bedtime snack and excersicing at the same time!

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I have these as well, and I also fill them with a little kibble, because the treats we use are too large. All three of my cats seem to enjoy them. They use various methods to get to the food. Sometimes they whack the ball really hard to dispense the treats, but one of them does exactly what you're describing above.

Originally Posted by Rang_27

http://www.bustercube.com/index.htm

Click to expand...

Thanks for that link - I think that's more like what my sister uses for their dog. Good thing is the Go Cat Go were only $3 for a two-pack.

Maybe I should try using kibble. The treats are small enough to fall out, but the design of the ball is not great. After she's been playing with it for a while, smelling the treats but not able to get one, she'll walk away. So I shake a treat out of the ball for her, which sometimes takes ME a few seconds longer than ir should...