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
Tip the Bottle
Game Category
Solitary Housing / Kennel
Game Version
1.0
Game Objective
Challenge your feline to hunt, and consume, all treats vertically suspended in the plastic bubbles throughout their kennel!
Game Players
1 Brave Whiskers Socializer & 1 Green or Orange Jalapeno Feline
Materials / Components / Setup
- Collect scissors, 2 metal short locking carabiners, 1 empty (and clean) soda/pop bottle, and 10 temptations treats.
- Open one carabiner and insert it into the opening of the bottle. Poke it through the neck and thread it through to the outside of the bottle. If you have a difficult time poking it through the bottle, use the scissors to create a slit to make the process easier.
- Lock the carabiner closed. Do *not* use a spring loaded carabiner, as the feline player may hurt itself with it!
- Attach the second carabiner to the first. Do not lock it closed yet! It will be used to attach the bottle to the kennel door.
- Poke 3 – 5 holes in the body of the bottle. The holes should be slightly larger than the temptations treats. Make sure the holes are smooth with no loose plastic strings or jagged edges.
- Fill the bottle with the treats.
- Making sure your feline player is secured, open the kennel cage door. Attach the bottle’s open, unlocked carabiner to the kennel cage door. The bottle should be installed with the opening face up, without a bottlecap.
- Release the feline player into the kennel to hunt the treats!
How to Play / Rules
After setup, release your feline into their kennel. Encourage your cat to retrieve the treats, if needed, by demonstrating how the bottles move and release a treat.
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
- Always ensure that the feline is secured when opening and working in the kennel.
- Limit the number of felines participating to avoid conflicts; ideally 1 feline only.
- Do not overfill the bottle!
- Ensure the carabiners are fully locked so the feline cannot unlock them – they are not a toy!
- Ensure there are no loose plastic pieces the cat can ingest.
- Ensure there are no rough edges on the bottle that can cut the feline!
- Be sure the feline can be successful. Making the game too difficult will cause the player to give up and feel defeated! Always end games on a positive note!
Variations / Levels
- Newbies: use short, wide bottles with large treat holes.
- Advanced Felines: use longer, thinner bottles with small treat holes.
- The connection where the carabineer attaches to the bottle controls how much movement the bottle requires for the feline to win. For a greater challenge, you can move these holes further up the neck of the bottle! For a new player¸ the holes can be placed farther down the neck of the bottle!
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.