DIY toy guide
Cardboard Treat-Slider Puzzle
A sliding-lid box puzzle that makes your cat nudge covers aside to uncover hidden biscuits
A shallow box with cut-out wells and little sliding cardboard covers turns mealtime into a brain game, rewarding your cat for pawing each lid aside to reveal a treat below.
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Time
- 20 minutes
- Cost
- Free
🧺 You will need
- A shallow cardboard box or box lid
- Extra cardboard for the sliding covers
- Scissors or a craft knife (adult use only)
- A few of your cat's favourite biscuits or treats
🔧 How to make it
- Cut three or four square wells out of the base of the box, each big enough to hold a treat but smaller than a sliding cover.
- Cut cardboard covers slightly larger than each well so they sit flat and can slide across.
- Lay the covers over the wells so each treat well can be opened by nudging its lid to one side.
- Drop a treat into each well and slide the covers back over them.
- Show your cat by half-opening one cover, then let it work out how to paw the rest aside.
💡 Tips
- Start with the covers only half-closed so early wins keep your cat interested.
- Make the wells shallow so paws can easily hook the treats out.
- Rotate which wells you bait so the puzzle stays unpredictable.
Safety: Do the cutting yourself and keep the cat away from scissors or knives. Supervise a cat that chews cardboard, and replace the box once it becomes soggy or shredded so no large pieces are swallowed.
📝 Notes
It costs nothing, slows down fast eaters, and gives an indoor cat a satisfying foraging challenge. Flatten and recycle it whenever it wears out and make a fresh one in minutes.