The 19 Very Best Food Puzzles for Cats and Dogs

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Feeder type:Grooved slow feeder |Food type:Wet and dry food |Material:Rubber

The LickiMat is a tried-and-true option that comes recommended by multiple experts. It’s suitable for both cats and dogs; its fairly uncomplicated grooved design works with both dry and wet chow and won’t make a mess of your floors, and its rubber material is durable and easy to clean, so it will last for years. “It slows them down and gets them physically involved because it’ll move and they can pull it around, but it won’t smear food all over your house,” says Kerrie McKeon, resident cat expert at the animal-welfare-and-adoption organizationBideawee. The licking motion can also soothe your pet, according to Kate Benjamin, founder of the stylish cat-gear websiteHauspanther. “They were originally designed for hyper dogs to lick peanut butter off, but cats like it too,” Benjamin says. “There’s something about it that calms them when they have to work at licking this food off.”

When Strategist writer Arielle Avila bought one for her dog, Maggie,she reportedthat Maggie “licked for 15 minutes straight, not even looking up to bark at squirrels scurrying past our window.” The mat’s simplicity is “exactly what makes it work,” Avila writes. “It doesn’t require any searches or problem-solving.” So while you may eventually want to graduate to more involved feeders, starting your pet off with the Lickimat is a great way to introduce them to puzzle feeders and keep them engaged and entertained for long stretches of time.

Feeder type:Ridged slow feeder |Food type:Wet and dry food |Material:Porcelain

This thoughtfully designed slow feeder can hold both wet and dry food and resembles a waffle with its ridged grid, which creates a barrier to slow down rapid eating. Its wide, shallow design is adapted for cats because “cats don’t like their whiskers hitting the edge of the bowl,” says McKeon. “If they have to stick their face too far down into something, they might just walk away.” But this bowl is just the right size for cats to dine without any whisker disturbance — and is aesthetically appealing too, not to mention dishwasher safe. Strategist senior editor Jen Trolio tested this bowl with one of her two cats who is notorious for eating too fast, then stealing extra food from his slower-paced brother (he also often throws up on the rug). Trolio uses the bowl with wetcat foodand says it slows down the speed racer enough that both cats now finish their meal at about the same time. She especially likes it for its ceramic material, “which looks so much nicer than plastic or silicone.”

Feeder type:Ridged slow feeder |Food type:Wet and dry food |Material:Plastic

Dr. Janet Cutler, a certified cat behaviorist atCat World, says this Petstages bowl provides a moderate difficulty level “and is a great option to begin your puzzle-feeding journey with a cat.” The raised zigzag edges are high enough to pose more of a challenge than the shallower bowl above, but once your cat has figured out how to work around the ridges, they shouldn’t have too much difficulty.

Feeder type:Spiked slow feeder |Food type:Dry food |Material:Plastic

This feeder is designed with grasslike plastic spikes, forcing cats to maneuver around the obstacles to find scattered treats or kibble. Delgado is a fan, and so is Nikki Naser, a pet expert atChewy, who says, “The tall spikes will add to the challenge — mentally and physically — as your kitty tries to push the pieces through to earn her dinner.”

Feeder type:Ridged slow feeder |Food type:Wet and dry food |Material:Plastic

For a dog new to food puzzles, nearly all our experts suggest a bowl that is divided by ridges so it’s slightly more difficult to eat from than a regular bowl. “It’s a way to slow them down while they eat,” says Satchu, “but it also triggers their mind to think throughHow am I going to get this little piece of kibble from the very depths of this bowl when my tongue can’t just scoop it up?” Naser likes this one from Dogit because “the nonslip rubber keeps dogs from scooting the bowl around, but the cutout at the bottom makes it easy for you to pick it up off the floor.”

Feeder type:Flower slow feeder |Food type:Wet and dry food |Material:Plastic

You can also try a bowl that is divided into shapes or patterns, like this fun flower-shaped option. Ward says these kinds of bowls are still “pretty easy” for pets, because once they figure it out, they can “go in with their muzzle and actually eat their meal.” Naser adds that dogs will “eat up to ten times slower with these.”

Feeder type:Maze slow feeder |Food type:Wet and dry food |Material:Silicone and stainless steel

“As your dog starts to get more accustomed to slow feeders, you can increase the intricacy of the mazes and narrowness of the wells,” advises Kate Karam, a pet expert atChewy. The concentric rings of this Frisco slow feeder are fairly close together, which means your pup will really have to work to get at the food nestled in between. It also includes a stainless steel water bowl, which encourages “eating and drinking at the same time, so they’re going to get fuller faster,” says Karam.

Feeder type:Swivel puzzle feeder |Food type:Treats and dry food |Material:Wood plastic composite

Cutler loves this Nina Ottoson ladybug puzzle feeder, both because it’s adorable and because it has adjustable difficulty levels. For cats who are new to puzzle feeders, you can start by simply placing kibble into the compartments and leaving it out in the open; once they’ve grown comfortable eating from the feeder, you can adjust the slides and pegs to increase the challenge. “This allows for a couple different activities in cats, in that they need to paw at the leaves to move them, and then lift the kibble or treats out of the compartments,” Cutler says.

Feeder type:Variety puzzle feeder |Food type:Treats and dry food |Material:Plastic

With a variety of different puzzles — a tunnel, fish bowl–like pods, and a squiggly path — this mat offers cats lots of challenging ways to work for their food. “Cats typically like to hunt for things,” says Satchu, “so this allows them the opportunity to use their paws and their noses,” to dig food out of the various compartments. Delgado agrees it’s good for keeping cats mentally stimulated. “The versatility means different types of problems to solve,” she says.

Feeder type:Interactive tube puzzle feeder |Food type:Treats and dry food |Material:Plastic

This toy includes tubes that hold cat treats, but since they have a narrow opening and swing back and forth, cats have to figure out how to turn them upside down to spill out the food. And once the treats are out of the tubes, they fall onto a spiky surface that cats then have to navigate with their paws. It’s one of Delgado’s top picks for an advanced cat puzzle.

Feeder type:Hidden compartment puzzle feeder |Food type:Treats and dry food |Material:Plastic

According to Ward, Swedish dog trainer Nina Ottosson is “a pioneer” in the world of puzzle feeders, and most of the experts we spoke to mentioned at least one of her products, which are ranked according to three levels of difficulty. This level-one puzzle, which makes dogs lift bone-shaped pieces to reveal food in hidden compartments, comes recommended by Delgado.

Feeder type:Spinning puzzle feeder |Food type:Treats and dry food |Material:Plastic

Karam says this spinning feeder is a good example of a fairly tricky puzzle “because your dog has to do a lot. You put the food into the center well, and as it spins, the food begins to land on the maze, and some of it lands underneath in the bowl.” She suggests giving this puzzle to an older dog “that enjoys taking their time with this kind of challenge,” rather than an impatient puppy.

Feeder type:Locking-drawer puzzle feeder |Food type:Treats and dry food |Material:Plastic

Puzzles that include multiple steps are generally more challenging; that’s certainly true of Nina Ottosson’s level-three puzzles, which “are a lot more difficult, requiring our dogs to do different things to get the prize,” says Nicole Ellis, an expert dog trainer atRover. This level-three toy is one of the most advanced available, as dogs need to first unlock a series of drawers by twisting the bones on top and then pull the drawers open to access their food.

Feeder type:Ball hunting feeder |Food type:Treats and dry food |Material:Plastic

Recommended by Satchu and Delgado, this SlimCat ball has small holes that dispense treats when cats roll it around. Delgado likes that the SlimCat is adjustable so it can adapt as cats learn how to use it. She says, “You can make it easier with larger holes or more challenging by making the holes for the food smaller, which means more interactions are needed to get the food out.”

Feeder type:Digger hunting feeder |Food type:Treats and dry food |Material:Plastic

The Catit digger is a favorite of both Karam andKingsgate Animal Hospitalveterinarian Dr. Jamie Whittenburg; Whittenburg deems it a level more challenging than the ball feeder since it moves “a bit more erratically” but is still fairly straightforward for your cat to interact with. Karam calls it “absolutely genius” for the way it activates a cat’s natural hunting instincts: “If you’ve ever watched your cat work for hours to get something out of a hole in your yard, they’ll just dig forever,” she says. However, since the feeder could potentially frustrate a hungry kitty, Karam suggests keeping a close eye on your cat “to make sure they’re not freaking out to the point of just tipping it over.”

Feeder type:Mice hunting feeder |Food type:Treats and dry food |Material:Plastic and fabric

This kit includes three mouse-shaped toys you can fill with food and hide around the house for cats to sniff out. Ellis says she loves that it has “toy mice for your cat to bat and pounce at to get their food, something they naturally love to do,” and Ward likes that the mice “engage your cat’s inner predator.” Naser says it gives cats “the satisfaction of finding the mice around the house, batting around their prey to release the food, and finally feasting on their catch.”

Feeder type:Ball hunting feeder |Food type:Dry food, wet food, and treats |Material:Rubber

This spherical dog toy works the same way as the PetSafe cat hunting feeder, above, but is made out of more durable rubber for dogs that tend to play rougher. Satchu is a fan and suggests filling one with food and water and then freezing it to make a “dog Popsicle” as a treat on a hot day.

Feeder type:Ball hunting feeder |Food type:Dry food, wet food, and treats |Material:Plastic

Dog trainer Julie Burgess uses this StarMark toy with her clients’ dogs and has heard tons of positive feedback about it. Since it has weights in the bottom, it will bob back and forth when nudged but always return to an upright and “ready for action” position, Burgess explains. It comes in two different sizes, to accommodate both small and large breeds, and the difficulty level can be adjusted via the “gate” at the bottom. Just note that Karam cautions against making the opening too small or you could risk disincentivizing your pup: “One little treat is not gonna make your dog happy,” she says, adding that they’ll need enough of a reward to ensure their effort is worth it.

Feeder type:Mat hunting feeder |Food type:Dry food and treats |Material:Fleece fabric

This snuffle mat mimics the way dogs would hunt in nature by encouraging their instincts to forage and root around in the ground. It was recommended to Strategist junior writer Brenley Goertzen by an obedience trainer at puppy school, and Goertzen reports that her Australian Shepard mix “loves sniffing around for treats or dry food.” Since it’s made from a soft fleece fabric and not hard plastic, it “can’t scuff or scratch your floors” and you can just “pop it in the washer and dryer” for easy cleaning. It’s also suitable for all breeds, both large and small; Goertzen’s parents found the mat to be a better choice for their Great Dane since he’s “so big that he can flip over most plastic puzzle feeders with one paw.”