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List Price: $59.99
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This is a very well made and easy to clean cat toy. I set it up and put some treats in it and my cats started trying to get the treats out right away. You can increase the difficulty level depending on where you place the treats. My cats had the most trouble with the clear globes but with some encouragement managed to get all the treats out of them as well. I have purchased other puzzles that were either too simple to engage my cats attention or that had flaws in them that allowed the treat or food to get stuck frustrating my cats. This puzzle doesn't have those problems. I am looking forward to more cat puzzles from this company.
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I received the toy three days ago, and we have used it twice since then. We have only used the 4 games associated with the solid cat treats as we don't have any liquids that would interest our cats. We have 4 cats, all of which are ragdolls, the largest being around 9.5 kg (almost 21 lb). Our largest cat, who is also the most intelligent of the four, has been the most interested in this toy. We put cat treats into all 4 games at once, and he chose which games he tried . He worked out the alley game first, followed by the tunnel, the peg, and then the globe. Of the other 3 cats, the smallest has worked out the alley game and has almost worked out the peg game. The game is very well designed, for example while paws easily fit in the alleys and between the pegs, the cats are unable to get their faces into those areas (and then cheat by licking up the cat treats they have tried!).
I was worried that the toy would not stand up to the rigors of a 9.5 kg cat, and that his paws and legs would be so large that the toy would be too small for him. I was pleasantly wrong on both accounts. While he has massive paws, they easily fit into the alley, and between the pegs, and into the globe. He has no problem hooking the cat treats out of the globe. Hi arm fits well into the tunnel, and this space is relatively large compared to the other leg-based games. The toy is also quite weighty, and has stood up to his entire weight on it, while he angles himself for the peg or globe games. We have also found that the toy sits well on the carpet, and when he wiggles his paws around it, the toy does not move so the toy is working as intended. We are using the toy on nylon carpet, so I'm not sure if it would stay as firmly in place if it was used on a more slippery surface such as lino or tiles.
The only problem is that our big boy thinks it is "his" toy. We will need to purchase a second so our other cats get a look-in. Currently, we are having to bribe him away from the toy to give the other 3 a chance. This may be one reason that the other 2 cats are not giving the toy much of a go: too many cats, insufficiently small number of cat toys.
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I absolutely love this product, and I wish I would have found it sooner. My kitties are currently on a diet, and they were getting fed twice a day. They would all scarf down their food, sometimes too fast and they would throw it up (not good for them or me!) I ordered this initially as a treat feeder, but quickly changed it to my cats' permanent feeder. Although they still get fed twice a day, this feeder makes them work for their food, slowing them down so they can't inhale their food. Additionally, even though the amount of food that I give them has not changed, there is frequently food left over when it is time for the next feeding. I think that this indicates that they only eat what they really need, because they are too lazy to work for more food than they are hungry for.
The center has 4 sections (well 5 if you count under the arch). I have found that there are really only 2 sections that make my cats work for their food. Going from the picture, on the far left is the arch. On top of the arch there are little sections that can fit several pieces of food, but a couple of my cats can eat them right out of the sections, which defeats the point of making them work for their food. The next section is a set of wavy dividers. My cats quickly figured out that they can take their paw and pull back all of the kibbles in a wave divider, and then eat a bunch at a time, again defeating the point. The next section is full of vertical fingers. This is one of the sections that I put their food in. They have to use their paws and they can only get a couple kibbles at a time, which serves my purpose of slowing them down and making them work for their food. The final section is 4 bubbles with holes at the top. I also put their food in this section. They can use their paws to scrape out a couple kibbles at a time.
All of my cats (6) quickly learned to use each section of this, although they tend to have their favorite sections. I know this is anthropomorphizing, but I really think they have to concentrate and think when they get the kibble out, and they seem to enjoy the challenge. Since purchasing this, I have gotten several other thinking food puzzles for them, but this remains my favorite that all of my cats can do. Some of them are too complicated for some of my less gifted kitties, but all of them can do the activity center, which makes it a great feeder. I also love that it can be thrown in the dishwasher!
Even though I am not using it for what I thought I would when I bought it, I like it even more using it this way, My kitties have only been on a diet for a couple of months, and some of them still have a ways to go, but using this eliminates the begging because they can get the food when they want it, but it makes it hard for them to overeat. The ONLY bad side to this is that it is plastic, and I have heard that it is not good to feed animals from plastic (though I am not sure exactly why). Perhaps chemicals from the plastic?
If you are looking for something to challenge your cats, or just something to help put them on a diet, give this a try!
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This product is wonderful! Recently my vet told me to put my cat, Precious, on a diet. Well, she's been driving me nuts begging for more food. She's also older and is sleeping more than she used to (she's about 9) and I've been wanting her to get a little more active. I tried a feeding ball, but she figured it out quickly and empties it in a couple of minutes (still a good starting point, but I needed to prolong the feeding time to cut down on begging). I kept researching other food puzzles, but I really liked that this has 5 puzzles and seemed the most creative. I've had this product for about a week. The price is steep, but worth it. High quality, doesn't seem likely to break easy, fairly heavy too. I was worried my cat would tip it or something by standing on it, but the puzzle is sturdy and has stood up well to her 11 and a half lbs. Her paws also fit inside each puzzle even thogh she's chunky. She hasn't been able to get at the treats by "cheating" with her mouth either on 4 of the puzzles. Most are meant for your cat to use her paw, hearing and sense of smell to get the treats off the board, one is for cat to lap up liquid treats.
As for puzzle itself, here's the deal with each of the 5 puzzles:
1. Alley: This is a round tunnel deep enough when you hide treats my cat has to stretch her paw far inside to get the treats in the middle. She really likes the alley and runs from side to side with her tail quivering as if she's hunting as she searches for treats.
2. Liquid treats: This is the blocks on top of the alley. It's meant for liquid treats so your cat has to lick them up, but from the instruction book it's not as easy as normal since they're smaller square blocks. Also supposed to be good for blind or disabled pets. I don't have any liquid treats to interest my cat yet, so she hasn't tried this one yet.
3. Waves: This is the first one my cat figured out. Pretty simply, all she has to do is one or two paw swipes down the middle and she gets the treats. Once she solved this one she was much more interested in the puzzle so I'm glad there's a fairly straightforward puzzle.
4. Pegs: this is difficult and my cat hasn't finished figuring it out yet. You put treats in among the pegs, and they're set up so your cat has to do multiple paw swipes to get the treats out from the board. She's pretty good if you make the puzzle simpler by putting the treats near the edge of the puzzle board, but has trouble with the ones in the center. She did solve it last night and ate all the treats on the peg board, so she seems to be catching on.
5. Globes: This is the hardest one, and my cat's still working on it. Precious has to put her paw into the globe, feel for a treat, and scoop it out of the globe and onto the floor so she can eat it. She's had a few successes, but still having some trouble.
Pros:
5 puzzles in one platform, each differing in difficulty. Difficulty also adjusted by placing food nearer to edge or further away. I divide up her hard food so she gets some food throughout the day until I'm home and can feed her. When I'm home my cat plays and snacks on a few kibbles, then wanders away seeming satisfied. My cat doesn't beg anymore and she's more active when I watch her play and get treats. She seems to be enjoying herself too.
Disadvantages:
The price is very expensive for a cat toy. on the other hand, the quality is good so I don't feel cheated. Since 5 puzzles involved price works out to be reasonable for each seperate puzzle. Also the board is a little bulky in my small apartment. Size about 12''x14 1/2'' (not huge, but my place is small.
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I chose this five star rating because it is totally deserved. This product is one of the best cat products I have encountered in over 50 years of having cats. I have two two year old cats that immediately caught on to this product. It arrived safely packaged with lots of instuructions and ideas on how to interact with your cat while using this activity center. It is bright white in color which matches my home decor. So, it has a place of prominence on my living room coffee table. I put Science Diet hairball food instead of treats in an effort to get my long hairs to consume more of the "good for them" food. Funny they won't eat it out of the bowl but will work until they get every last piece off this activity center. I love that it is dishwasher safe! I have now searched for more Trixie products and have one on order and plan to order another.
