Nina Ottosson - Cat Puzzle & Play Rainy Day White

Although my year old cat has pretty much figured out how to manipulate this puzzle, except for the large circle at the top, he really enjoys the challenge! He is a smart little guy and is in constant search of brain stimulation.He loves the Pure Bites freeze-dried shrimp... and because it has a strong but not unpleasant odor, we deliberately chose these so he had a notion besides visual. That has helped particularly with the large compartment.He also loves the Churu Chicken Bites, which we also used, and they worked... but we found he was more challenged when he could strongly smell the shrimp. Unfortunately the package gets used up quickly. We used only one or two pieces in each compartment in order to use it more slowly, but he doesn't mind that the reward is ... MoreAlthough my year old cat has pretty much figured out how to manipulate this puzzle, except for the large circle at the top, he really enjoys the challenge! He is a smart little guy and is in constant search of brain stimulation.He loves the Pure Bites freeze-dried shrimp... and because it has a strong but not unpleasant odor, we deliberately chose these so he had a notion besides visual. That has helped particularly with the large compartment.He also loves the Churu Chicken Bites, which we also used, and they worked... but we found he was more challenged when he could strongly smell the shrimp. Unfortunately the package gets used up quickly. We used only one or two pieces in each compartment in order to use it more slowly, but he doesn't mind that the reward is small. He is truly enjoying the challenge!as per the photo attached, you can see he's already trying the large wheel.The only reason I gave it a four star rating instead of five is that it is not weighted on the bottom and therefore moves around the room when he's trying to conquer it. I do not want to Velcro it to the floor or anything like that, but I really would like it if they had taken that into consideration. I will try to figure out some thing for that reason.We do not regret this purchase and would happily purchase it again!

Query took to her digger toy very quickly and attempted to implement her strategy with the cups on this toy. Unfortunately they are far too shallow for her to get a good handle on the bits. She attempts to put her mouth in and just get them that way, but it’s clearly uncomfortable and she always returns to trying to dig them out, even if it’s more frustrating for her. Deeper cups would go a long way for digging-inclined cats, and could be an opportunity to maybe make the toy a little more weighted: there has been a lot of picking up/dragging around/flipping with ease, which also moves the raindrops/sliding cups (to be completely fair, Query also ‘cheats’ this way sometimes with her digger toy. Difference is pulling out one of the smaller tubes doesn’t flip the ... MoreQuery took to her digger toy very quickly and attempted to implement her strategy with the cups on this toy. Unfortunately they are far too shallow for her to get a good handle on the bits. She attempts to put her mouth in and just get them that way, but it’s clearly uncomfortable and she always returns to trying to dig them out, even if it’s more frustrating for her. Deeper cups would go a long way for digging-inclined cats, and could be an opportunity to maybe make the toy a little more weighted: there has been a lot of picking up/dragging around/flipping with ease, which also moves the raindrops/sliding cups (to be completely fair, Query also ‘cheats’ this way sometimes with her digger toy. Difference is pulling out one of the smaller tubes doesn’t flip the entire thing)! The other problem with the digging is the pressing along the sides trying to keep hold of it: the gaps in the sides have ample space for pieces of kibble to get stuck, and get stuck they do! Heck, I even lost one in the gap when I was trying to scoop it out. It’d be one thing having to pick out one or two frustrating bits, but I gave it a few smacks when putting it away, and what seemed like half her serving came tumbling out (okay, possible exaggeration, but not by much.) Again, maybe would be... not great, but fine if it was easily disassembled for clearing and cleaning, but unfortunately not the case. My girl is probably smarter than I will ever be, and I will definitely continue to use this is her puzzle rotation because I do think it provides the most challenges for her in our collection so far, I just also feel other buyers should weigh that pro against the cons I’ve noticed, and hopefully the makers will be able to come to a compromise/update in design!

Joey loved his watermelon themed Petstages puzzle so much but he achieved the learning curve so quickly that it got too easy for him! I decided to buy him this one since it stated that it was “level 3”. However, certain design features prohibit Joey from actually successfully using this puzzle much of the time. For instance, the raindrop shaped treat covers sink down too far into the treat cups and get stuck which was never an issue with the last puzzle. Likewise, the raindrop covers swing into one another and sometimes it even takes me a second to figure out how to get them back to their original placements. And perhaps most importantly, the big turning wheel gets stuck and doesn’t turn smoothly enough for Joey to use his nose or paws to shift it all the way ... MoreJoey loved his watermelon themed Petstages puzzle so much but he achieved the learning curve so quickly that it got too easy for him! I decided to buy him this one since it stated that it was “level 3”. However, certain design features prohibit Joey from actually successfully using this puzzle much of the time. For instance, the raindrop shaped treat covers sink down too far into the treat cups and get stuck which was never an issue with the last puzzle. Likewise, the raindrop covers swing into one another and sometimes it even takes me a second to figure out how to get them back to their original placements. And perhaps most importantly, the big turning wheel gets stuck and doesn’t turn smoothly enough for Joey to use his nose or paws to shift it all the way around. Ultimately, even though my genius kitty seems capable of understanding how to use this toy, many design aspects make it impossible for him to do so! I’ve even tried to tinker with it to improve it to no avail. Disappointing since his last Petstages puzzle was such a hit but was no longer intellectually stimulating for him. This seemed like it would have been perfect but was much more cheaply made.