Feline enrichment through curiosity, choice, and play.
Use this enrichment game to engage your feline's senses to encourage natural behaviors for feline happiness.
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Disclosure: This material is for educational purposes only - it is not medical advice! Always consult your veterinarian for feline guidance. Never leave your feline unattended with game materials! Terms of Service
Game Name
Cup Puzzle Board Quest
Game Category
Community Housing / Lounge
Game Version
1.0
Game Objective
Challenge your giant feline to reach into the mousetrap holes to dig out a mousey lunch!
Game Players
1 Brave Whiskers Socializer & 1 Green or Orange Jalapeno Feline (Optional: Additional, Bonded Felines)
Materials / Components / Setup
- Collect 1 cardboard tray (e.g. cat food flat), several dixie cups, 10-20 temptations treats, and crumpled paper balls (optional).
- Poke holes into the cardboard tray where the dixie cups will be inserted.
- Expand the poked holes into X cuts.
- Fold each side of the X into the bottom of the tray. The goal is to create the holder for the dixie cup. Do this for every X you created in the tray.
- Insert dixie cups into the tray's holes. The goal is to keep the dixie cups upright and stable on the tray.
- Fill each dixie cup with an equal distribution of treats.
- Optionally, hide the treats under crumbled paper balls.
How to Play / Rules
Present the feline player(s) with the puzzle board. Allow player(s) to explore it, and encourage treat hunting!
Scoring / Winning the Game
Each retrieved treat is 1 point. To win, the feline should hunt all treats successfully! Be sure to record the score and include the total points possible in your notes!
Special Situations / Safety / Fair Play Guidelines
- Stop playing immediately if the puzzle board becomes damaged and replace damaged components for toy reintroduction.
- Monitor group interactions to ensure all cats have access.
- Do not leave the game board unattended!
- Monitor for resource guarding or bullying in multi-feline game sessions.
Variations / Levels
- Newbies: omit crumpled paper balls and keep all treats visible in the cups.
- Advanced Felines: hide the treats by placing crumpled paper balls on top of the treats in the cups! You can also use cups of varying shapes and sizes.
- If additional encouragement is needed, sprinkle catnip on the board to entice play!
- This game can be incorporated into formal clicker training plans.
Safety Reminder
All enrichment activities should be supervised by shelter staff. Remove any damaged components immediately and discontinue use if a cat attempts to ingest any portion of the enrichment item. Select materials appropriate for the individual cat's age, health status and behavioral history.
Veterinary care comes first! Sudden or concerning behavior changes can have medical causes. Boobahs, LLC does not diagnose medical conditions.