Cats have an instinctual need to hunt, so how do you satisfy that instinct in your own indoor cat? While some cats will contentedly spend their days sleeping, other cats decide to amuse themselves by knocking over picture frames, chewing on electrical cords and expressing other undesirable behaviors. Unfortunately, all of these cats are missing the satisfaction that play can provide.
We asked longtime Muddy (and part of the team who developed our “Made with Mud Bay” products) Whitney Wilmott for her understanding as to why cats like to hunt and how to help them do it. Whitney is a devoted cat lover with three cats of her own, but she also has a degree in zoology that has helped her gain insight into these small feline hunters. To learn more about what cat owners can do to make their cats more active and healthier, we asked her the following questions.
Outdoor cats get lots of mental stimulation. They have prey to hunt, and hunting is very mentally stimulating. Also, both territorially and behaviorally, there are a lot of opportunities for their brains to be engaged outdoors.
Indoors, when a cat is surrounded by the same daily environment, they can get really bored. And some cats will respond to that boredom by sleeping. Then they won’t get much daily exercise, which can lead to obesity. So, giving your cat an opportunity to hunt for food gives them an activity to do.
Other cats, especially younger cats, will try to create their own stimulation if they’re bored. And that’s where your cats can get into trouble. Many people with bored cats say their cats like to get into things, they chew things, and they just generally do things they’re not supposed to do. Sometimes bored cats may just start bothering other cats out of boredom, which can cause general upheaval and discord.
My suggestions tend to vary depending on the individual cat and how food motivated that cat is. Very food motivated cats may be willing to work hard to find small treats, while other cats need easy wins and lots of encouragement when they first start.
If you want your cat to hunt for their actual meals, kibble or freeze-dried raw food works best. Otherwise, if you’re feeding a diet of mostly wet or frozen raw food, you’ll want to look for some freeze-dried treats to encourage hunting. Also, if your cat isn’t extremely food motivated, looking for a treat that has a strong smell can help your cat find it more easily.
There are treat balls, like the Egg-Cersizer ball, that you can fill with treats or food. Then, the cat rolls around the ball until food falls out of it. You can make the holes in the toy bigger or smaller to change the level of difficulty.
Another option is to use a cardboard box to create your own treat toy. Just take any cardboard box and cut various size holes in it. And then you can put treats or food inside the box, so the cat has to fish it out with their paws.
Using a cardboard box allows you to vary the game a lot. You can use different boxes with different sizes and shapes and then cut various holes in different locations. That way, it’s not the same game every day, and you can change the box once your cat has mastered that particular box configuration.
But for a beginning game for cats who aren’t food motivated, I recommend that pet owners try a game using tiny paper Dixie cups. You start by placing a couple of treats in the bottom of one of these cups, and then you leave the cup open-end up in the center of the room. You want your cat to find it, and then figure out that they need to knock over the cup to get the treat out.
Once they’ve mastered that technique, you can move the cups around the house, and you can use multiple cups. And you can hide these cups in a cat tree, on a windowsill or some other place that your cat needs to explore the house to find. That way, when your cat is roaming their indoor territory, they can use their sense of smell to get small portions of food or treats.
This game encourages that territorial patrolling that many feral cats instinctually do. Outside cats will wander the borders of their territories and look for changes. So, if you can add small amounts of food to different areas of your home, you can get your cat to start patrolling that interior territory.
Cats have a natural daily cycle, where they instinctually hunt, eat, groom and sleep. For cats, it’s very straightforward. A cat catches a mouse, eats the mouse, cleans up after eating, and then sleeps. Once they’re regained energy, the cat will want to reproduce that cycle again. And a normal cat will follow this cycle several times each day.
An indoor cat is not likely to have an opportunity to hunt a mouse. But play or any other physical activity triggers the same hunting mental response. Activity can stimulate appetite. Playing with your cat right before feeding helps them believe that they’re hunting for food. Then, when they’re eating, it’s as if they’ve caught the meal.
Overweight or older cats may not like to play. So, try doing just five minutes of interactive play right before you feed them. Ideally, you’d work up to ten minutes of play, and help encourage a routine of exercise before eating. And following that routine before every meal will trigger more engagement from your cat.
Cats like predictability, so your cat will come to expect playtime before meals once you start the habit. It’s also a good way to try to curb a cat’s impulse to play when you don’t want to play. If your cat is waking you up in the middle of the night to play, you can try to shift playtimes, so they take place before meals. If you want your cat to sleep all night, you have a play session, followed by feeding. That routine then triggers the instinct to groom and go to sleep.
It’s also important to realize that cats like to have smaller, more frequent meals. Outdoor and feral cats eat small meals, which might be the size of beetles. Then they’d need to groom and sleep before hunting again.
The more often you can feed your cat, the more your household’s schedule mimics their instinctual behavior. Ideally, you should feed your cat at least three times a day, but it’s more important to make a schedule that you can follow all seven days of the week. Your cat doesn’t know what day of the week it is, so they won’t be willing to sleep in on the weekends. Consistency is key
Whitney Wilmott worked in and managed Mud Bay locations for close to a decade (shout out to Mukilteo!), before moving on to help manage our Made with Mud Bay product lines. She loves spending time with her two Catahoula leopard Dogs, Noodle and Mochi, as well as her dog-sized (Maine Coon) cat, Sherlock.
Furvor bone 🦴 broth for dogs is made with 100% human-grade ingredients and is highly concentrated, so every squeeze adds real nutrition to your dog’s routine.
🐕 It’s packed with protein, amino acids, and nutrients that can support gut health, mobility, skin and coat, and overall wellness.
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It’s also an easy way to boost hydration and bring a little excitement back to the bowl—especially for picky eaters. Just mix it with water, pour it over kibble, or serve it on its own.
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Shop Furvor 🛒 🛍️ 🐕 Bone Broth in-store or online at Mud Bay!
#mudbay #furvor #bonebroth #dogs #healthypets
Weruva WX Phos Focused Freeze-Dried Chicken and Tilapia is a low-phosphorus, high-protein supplement made from 93% boneless, skinless chicken breast, tilapia, and egg white. It has no grains, fillers, bones, or organs.
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Due to its naturally low phosphorus content, this food is suitable for cats requiring phosphorus management, particularly those with kidney conditions. Additionally, it’s highly digestible protein helps maintain lean muscle mass.
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You can serve it dry or add water to soften the texture. Adding water can help your cat digest it more easily and boost their daily water intake. This recipe is meant as a supplement and works well as a topper or treat alongside a complete, balanced diet.
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If you want help figuring out if this is right for your cat, visit your local Mud Bay and speak with a Muddy, or shop with us online today.
#mudbay #healthypets #kidneyhealth #cats #catfood
If your pup brings the energy indoors, meet their new favorite toy. The ultra plush Fluff & Tuff Soccer Ball is designed for fetch, toss, and all-out play.
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With a strong inner mesh liner and concealed double stitching, it delivers the durability Fluff & Tuff is known for in a soft, soccer-inspired design.
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Kick off the fun and shop the Fluff & Tuff Soccer Ball in-store or online at Mud Bay.
#mudbay #fluffandtuff #dogs #timetoplay #healthypets
Need to keep your dog engaged while you work, host, or help them burn energy?
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The Woof LickMat and LickMix make enrichment easy.
The textured design encourages longer licking, helping promote calm behavior and engagement. Premeasured lines make portioning easy every time.
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Simply mix the grain-free Cheddar and Bacon LickMix. It’s easy to digest, simple to prepare, and each bag provides 10 or more lick sessions. Made from 100 percent silicone, BPA-free, and dishwasher safe. Strong suction cups keep the LickMat stable for easy, everyday use.
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Enhance your dog’s daily enrichment—visit us in-store or online and bring home the woof LickMat and LickMix today.
#mudbay #woof #healthypets #dogs #petenrichment
👀 Looking for a way to slow down mealtime and keep your dog thinking? The GURU Pet Company Bobble Ball turns your dog’s food into an interactive activity.
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Simply fill it with kibble or small treats, screw the top back on, and let the wobble begin. The weighted base creates unpredictable movement that keeps dogs engaged and working for every bite.
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A great option for dogs new to enrichment or seasoned puzzle pros.
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Shop in-store or online at Mud Bay today.
#mudbay #dogs #staybusy #healthypets #dogtoys
🎉 New Mud Bay Air-Dried Toppers are now available in-store and online at Mud Bay!
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We’re excited to offer two new formulas that are complete and balanced for both cats and dogs.
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The Digestive Support Formula has beneficial fiber from lentils and sweet potato, along with probiotic inulin from chicory root. It also includes organic apple cider vinegar for extra immune and digestive support.
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Our Hip & Joint Support Formula features turmeric, oat flour, and omega-3 fatty acids from tuna 🐟 to help support joint mobility and immune health.
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All Mud Bay Air-Dried Toppers are veterinarian-formulated and free of corn, wheat, soy, and artificial preservatives. And they are convenient and easy to use as a complete meal, a treat, or a topper.
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You can find the full line—including Skin & Coat, Cognitive, Digestive, and Hip & Joint Support formulas—exclusively at Mud Bay.
#mudbay #healthypets #mealtime #pnwpets #mudbayairdriedtoppers
💫 New at Mud Bay!
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CocoTherapy Cranberry Sweet Potato Pie and Peanut Butter Blondie Coco-Charms. Small in size and low in calories, they are an ideal training treat.
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Made with 100% organic ingredients, you can feel good giving them to your dog during longer training sessions. CocoTherapy Coco-Charms are also free from grains, dairy, gluten, eggs, and preservatives, and are low glycemic.
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Shop the Cranberry Sweet Potato Pie and Peanut Butter Blondie CocoTherapy Coco-Charms in-store or online today!
#mudbay #cocotherapy #trainingtreats #dogs #healthypets
🎉 🎉 GIVEAWAY! New Mud Bay Air-Dried Toppers for Cats & Dogs
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We’re excited to give you a chance to win a bag of one of our newest Mud Bay Air-Dried Topper formulas.
Mud Bay Air-Dried Toppers are veterinarian-formulated, complete and balanced for cats and dogs, and easy to use as a topper, treat, or complete meal.
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New Mud Bay Air-Dried Topper Formulas:
Digestive Support
Made with turkey, chicken, and lentils, plus organic apple cider vinegar and chicory root to help support healthy digestion and immune function.
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Hip and Joint Support:
Made with turkey, chicken, fish, and oats, plus turmeric and omega-3s from tuna to help support mobility and joint health.
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To enter:
👍 Like this post
😃 Tag us and tag a friend
🤝 Follow us
We’ll pick winners at random and notify them on April 16th. Each winner will receive a bag of our newest Mud Bay Air-Dried Toppers. 🍀 🤞 Good luck!
#mudbay #foodtoppers #dogs #cats #petfood
Check out these new aquatic-themed toys for your pup from Fluff & Tuff.
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Available in-store now: Claude the squid, with tentacles that are great for tugging.
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We also have Dottie the Puffer Fish, who will keep your pup active with a nice fetch session, and, last but not least, we have Millie the Axolotl, who is an engaging option for all of the above and ready to shake up your pup’s toy selection.
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Shop these fun new Aquatic options for your pup in-store or online today!
#mudbay #fluffandtuff #dogtoys #playtime #pnwpets
We visited the local dog park today to share a fun spring surprise 👀🎉
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The park pups got to try our newest Mud Bay Air-Dried Toppers!
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We can’t share all the details on these new toppers yet, but here’s what we can tell you:
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Two new formulas are coming soon, and you’ll find them both in stores and online. They’ll be available in 8-ounce and 24-ounce bags.
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Just like our current toppers, these new formulas give both cats and dogs complete and balanced nutrition. You can serve them as a full meal, sprinkle them on top of their food, or offer them as a treat.
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Thank you to all the pups who came by to try them today.🐾🎉
Check back next week because we have a giveaway coming up. Stay tuned and have a great spring!🌈 💐 🌷 ☀️ ☔
#mudbay #dogpark #sneaktreat #mudbayairdriedtoppers #new
Keep your pet happy and blissfully engaged with the woof LickMat and LickMix.
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The LickMat is BPA-free, 100% silicone, and dishwasher safe on the top rack, with suction cups for stability and a design that encourages longer licking. It also features suction cups for stability and a design that encourages longer licking, while its built-in mixing bowl and measuring lines make mixing easy.
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The Bacon and Cheese LickMix is grain-free and designed for use with the LickMat, woof Pupsicle, or as a meal topper. Each bag yields about 10 LickMat sessions when used as directed.
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Treat your dog with the Woof LickMat and LickMix. Shop all woof products in-store and online today!
#mudbay #woof #dogs #enrichment #petproducts
Stock up on your dog’s favorite Bulk Biscuits and make every refill count.
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Mud Bay’s Bulk Biscuits are all-natural, with many locally sourced options, including organic and grain-free varieties. When you refill your Mud Bay Mud Bucket, you pay $4.24 per pound instead of $4.99 on every refill. That’s 75 cents saved per pound, or 15% off each refill.
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Our Mud Buckets are BPA-free, dishwasher safe, and come in two handy sizes: 2.75 liters and 8.5 liters. Designed for easy refills and fresher storage, they help make treating your dog simple and eco-friendly.
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Refill. Reuse. Re-Biscuit. Visit your local Mud Bay today to pick up a Mud Bay Mud Bucket and some tasty biscuits for your dog!!
#mudbay #mudbuckets #dogs #treats #healthypets
