17 Puzzles On Amazon That Reviewers Say Actually Challenge Their Cats

For the cat in your life who is perpetually bored.

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1. An interactive toy maze for the cat who scoffs at mere toy mice. This treat toy is great for keeping your cats engaged and stimulated while you do other things, like tick off chores from your daily to-do list.

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Promising review: "This is way more than I expected in many ways, easy to put together, great construction, and has science behind slow-eating puzzles for cats. It challenges them and makes them work for treats. It keeps my cat busy and entertained while I work, kids love watching cat work on getting a snack." —Anita

Price: $15.94

2. A Petstages treat-dispensing puzzle that'll help your kitty slow down if they seem to eat as quickly as you serve them their food.

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Promising review: "This toy is awesome! At first, my cat didn't understand it — I would put the treat in and cover it, and he thought it was gone. So I started putting treats in the cups uncovered and he would just eat out of the cups. After a couple of days of that, I put the treat in and just partially covered it, so he could see it, but had to move the drop out of the way to get the treat. Once he'd mastered that, I was able to cover it completely and he knew to move the drop to get the treat. We haven't gotten to the advanced level with the pegs yet. It's SO much fun teaching him and seeing him get the hang of it, and it's great for indoor cats to have a mental challenge and 'hunt' for their food. Highly recommend!" —Trudi M. Rosenblum

Price: $19.99 (available in three designs)

3. An interactive roller cat toy, because playing isn't just for kittens! Playtime is vital in ensuring your cat can maintain their physical health and mental awareness.

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Promising review: "I foster kittens for our local shelter. We raise them until they can be placed in great homes. It is important to give the kittens challenging toys to play with. They love to try to capture things. They are little hunters. I put this together and put it down in less than a half hour. It has been entertaining four kittens and one of my resident's full-grown cats. Great price and good toy to stimulate the little fur babies." —Amazon Customer

Price: $8.39 (available in three colors)

4. A catnip-filled toy that is sure to be a treat every time. Simply stuff the toy with catnip and watch the chaos ensue as your cat tries to dig the catnip from inside this toy.

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Promising review: "I got my carrot and with not much hope and threw it on the floor. It exploded immediately. My orange cat went HARD on kicks, licks, snouts, breaths, drools and more kicks for THREE HOURS." –Elisa

Price: $4.23+ (available in five designs)

5. An interactive laser pointer, because playtime is not just about having fun — it's important for keeping your cat active and maintaining their cognitive health, too.

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Promising review: "As spoiled as my cats are, there are very few toys that will catch all of my cats' attention. The Yvetlife Laser Toy is one of those rare finds for them because it does that exactly! Adjustable settings allow you to accommodate the determined play area of your choosing. The 'slow' speed, along with the unpredictable (to them) pattern is perfect for my cats. However, if your pet likes more of a challenge, one more click of the button will put it at a faster speed." —Beth

Price: $25

6. A Catit super roller circuit that will preoccupy your cat while you try to get some typing done. (Why is it that cats always want your attention while you're typing?!)

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Promising review: "My cats are both around one-and-a-half years old. They both enjoy this toy. This toy seems to appeal to them so much because the hills make the movement more unpredictable than other toys. The fact that parts are covered and they have to reach their paws in certain areas makes it more challenging and the flashing ball all work to get their attention." —Angela H.

Price: $16.09

7. A catnip turntable toy for the cat in your life who seems to spend all their time sitting on your windowsill. This toy suctions to any surface, and will keep your cat busy as they try to dig out the catnip.

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Promising review: "My two cats love this toy! I was unsure if my cats would like this toy because they are older (both eight years old) and don't play often anymore, but this toy has brought back out their youth! The best part is that the suction is very strong! It sticks to all different surfaces! I've stuck it to the table, the floor, the wall, even the window! The toy is a very decent size. Everything came packaged neatly and in working condition. I have already recommended it to many other cat owners!" —Jasmine Smith

Price: $5.99

8. A pet food puzzle toy for the felines who enjoy playing with their food. This toy dispenses food as your cat rotates it, effectively turning mealtime into playtime.

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Promising review: "Cats picked it up pretty quickly. I thought it would be too easy (especially the maze at the bottom where the treats/kibbles fall), but it’s just challenging enough! They really love eating and playing with this food puzzle. Highly recommend, especially for kitties just beginning to get introduced to food puzzles and who are food-driven." —Amazon Customer

Price: $27.99

9. A Catit cat food tree, because, although cats are not mean, they can be bored a lot of the time. This makes eating fun as your cat tries to scoop their meal out of the tiers.

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Promising review: "My vet suggested puzzle feeders. This food tree is not only aesthetic but also the perfect level of complexity for my cat. She understood it quickly, has dexterity for it, and although sometimes forgets the third floor exists, is getting better at it every time. After only four days, life already feels better with her not guzzling a plate of food down and then begging for more. She works for her food, is very engaged in hunting it, and does not beg afterwards. She seems to love it and perhaps enjoys the challenge!" —hummer

Price: $19.73

10. A food-digger interactive toy for the cat in your life who needs to shed a bit of extra fluff. This toy causes cats to slow down while eating, which helps them to maintain a healthy weight.

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Promising review: "I bought this because I live in a small apartment with two cats. Both kitties were restless in the small space, and one had gained a bunch of weight since moving. I thought making access to her food more of a challenge would help, and keep both kitties a little more entertained throughout the day. On both accounts, this feeder worked." —M

Price: $14.99

11. A activity tunnel feeder, because your cat deserves to have fun in all moments of their life, especially when munching on tasty treats. This feeder dispenses food as your cat (or cats) pokes their paws into the tunnels.

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Promising review: "All six of my cats quickly learned to use each section of this, although they tend to have their favorite sections. I know this is anthropomorphizing, but I really think they have to concentrate and think when they get the kibble out, and they seem to enjoy the challenge. Since purchasing this, I have gotten several other thinking food puzzles for them, but this remains my favorite that all of my cats can do." —TXAnimals

Price: $15.79 (available in six designs)

12. An interactive treat puzzle that's so fun and challenging, your cat might forget they're even hunting treats that are hidden inside.

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Promising review: "The instructions were easy for me to follow, and my cat didn't need an explanation. She watched me place a treat inside and immediately went to work trying to retrieve it. She likes to chase mice outside, and this puzzle seems to give her some of that challenge and pursuit that she enjoys. She feels proud when she fetches the treat out. We've been giving her two to four treats a night depending on her energy level. We like to tire her out before bed so that she doesn't keep us up, and this puzzle is helping more than I'd have imagined." —Rivers

Price: $22.94

13. A cat toy – it comes equipped with a running mouse to keep your kitty on their toes...or paws. This toy comes with a toy mouse that "runs" under and over the holes at the top of this toy.

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Promising review: "Obviously, every cat is different but this toy has done a good job of entertaining mine! Although, strangely enough, she plays with it more when it's turned off. I like to stop it with the mouse hidden from view, and she goes to it whenever she's bored to try and reach in and pull it out. Often I'll catch her dropping her milk rings in there herself so she can fish those out of the holes. When it's on (whether slow or fast mode), she doesn't attack it so much, but she does like to sit there and watch it go round and round. It's like she's mesmerized! It's done a wonderful job of distracting her from things I don't want her to be playing with." —Emily

Price: $24.99

14. An interactive toy that sporadically shoots out a feather from different holes in its side. It's basically like Whac-A-Mole for your cat — your cat will go wild over this.

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Promising review: "I adopted one kitten and she requires a lot of play. I love this toy because I can switch it on and she plays on her own. She enjoys the challenge of trying to catch the feather when it pokes out of the different openings on the toy." —Amazon Customer

Price: $19.99 (available in three colors)

15. A grass scratcher toy to keep your cat busy as it scratches, chases, and lounges on this toy. I have this scratcher, and I love watching my cats chase roller toys between the slits in the surface. I also love that my cats have something other than my brand-new rug to scratch at!

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Promising review: "Our cats love this toy so much! They love the texture of the grass and the challenge! Highly recommend." —Pamela MacPhee

Price: $9.42

16. A PetSafe feeder ball that'll keep mealtime fun, while simultaneously stimulating your cat's mind with play.

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Promising review: "Our cats love this and it's the perfect way to give them food overnight without them eating all of it within the first 30 minutes and vomiting on the kitchen floor! They really like the challenge, and the size makes it really easy to regulate the amount of food we are giving them. We got two of them so they could both play/eat and that really solved our problems." —Charity Crabtree

Price: $6.95

17. And a roller ball toy with a teaser mouse attached to keep your needy kitty preoccupied as you take care of your day's to-do list.

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Promising review: "I hardly EVER review items I purchased on Amazon (in fact, this may be my first review in the seven years I've used Amazon?) but our kitten who has the attention span of a goldfish has been playing nonstop with this toy since I unboxed it 20 minutes ago! I had previously bought her a toy variety pack and she couldn't be interested in any of those toys for more than five minutes. I think the challenge of having to slow down and stick her paw in the holes to move the ball around has her captivated. She generally doesn't like to play alone AT ALL but she is happy to be by herself with this toy!" —Amazon Customer

Price: $11.99

The reviews for this post have been edited for length and clarity.