PetsRadar Verdict
A high-quality interactive cat feeder from a well respected brand, the Catit Play Treat Puzzle performs its task well, and deserves to be at the top of the market in this particular category.
Pros
- +
Encourages active play and discourages overeating
- +
Comes with plenty of activities: more than meets the eye
- +
Compatible with other Catit products
Cons
- -
Can be difficult to clean if you don’t have a dishwasher
Why you can trust PetsRadar Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test.
One of a number of interactive cat feeders out there, the Catit Play Treat Puzzle is aimed at solving a problem commonly found in indoor cats: overeating. Composed of a white opaque base and various green translucent parts, the idea behind it is that instead of wolfing down their food in one go, they will be forced to slow down by the various obstacles that the Treat Puzzle places before them. That way, your cat is less likely to experience issues related to obesity and over eating, and gets a mental workout as an added bonus. You'll find more fun kit for felines in our round up of the best cat toys.
But does it do the trick? Read on in our review as we attempt to discern its effectiveness…
- Best interactive cat toys: Ten toys to get your moggy moving
- Best catnip toys: Amuse your cat with toys they’ll love
- The best dry cat foods: King of cat kibble revealed
Catit Play Treat Puzzle: Features
One of the Catit Play Treat Puzzle’s chief boasts is that it comes with six different activities for your cat to enjoy. This might seem like a slightly improbable boast, considering it only measures at 41x41cm, but we can report that the math checks out!
With such evocative names as the 'Pyramid Forest', 'Treat Cave' and 'Food Spiral', each section of the Treat Puzzle offers a different kind of mental and physical workout for your cat. Whether it’s tunnels, cones or holes, each has a subtly different twist, and you’ll have just as much fun watching them work things out as they will while attempting to work it all out. Some cat feeders are fairly generic in what they offer; with more variety on show, this will keep your cats amused for longer.
Easy to assemble straight out of the box, it is made entirely of BPA-free materials, so you can rest assured that your cat will be completely safe when using it.
As has been documented, the health benefits of this cannot be over emphasized. By making the food more spaced out and effectively harder to get to, cats are forced to eat more slowly. This helps prevent overeating, and reduces instances of obesity and vomiting.
Alternatively, instead of regular cat food, you could simply use it as a location for occasional treats. That way, your cats can earn their reward.
One tiny nitpick we have is when it comes to cleaning. It’s safe to put in a dishwasher, but if you don’t have one then you’ll have to clean it manually. This can be done, but inevitably with so many different shapes this can take a while. It seems a bit unfair to bring this up considering it’s an inevitable byproduct of the design, but we’re nothing if not pedantic!
This should definitely not put you off though. As far as interactive feeders go, this is definitely one of the most versatile and well designed that we’ve come across.
Should you buy the Catit Play Treat Puzzle?
If you think that your cat requires additional mental stimulation, or may be developing issues related to overeating or eating too quickly, then the Catit Play Treat Puzzle is definitely something that we recommend. Especially if your cat enjoys their food, it’s highly likely that they will get a lot of enjoyment out of it. Moreover, if you regularly find yourself away from home from long periods of time, it’s a product that you can feel rest assured in leaving alone with your cat, so in that case it’s another thing you don’t need to worry about.
Discover more great cat toys in our guide to the Best Cat Toys 2020.
