Does Your Cat Love to Reach Into Small Spaces? Here’s Why!

A new video in the TED Ed series features a lesson from one of my heroes, Dr. Tony Buffington, Professor Emeritus of Veterinary Clinical Sciences at The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine and a cat behavior pioneer. The video, titled “Why Do Cats Do That?” covers lots of ground in just under 5 minutes, including explaining why cats climb (a topic that Jackson Galaxy and I have explored thoroughly in our two books), why they stalk their prey, hide in small spaces, and sharpen their claws. The charming illustrations by Chintis Lundgren make this one of the most enjoyable and informative videos on cat behavior yet.

There’s one very interesting thing that the video points out, which made me think differently about some of my favorite cat toys. If you’ve ever observed a cat, you know that they love to poke their paws into small spaces, they almost can’t help themselves. As the video teaches us, cats in the wild tend to hunt small prey, eating little meals throughout the day. These small prey generally hide in small spaces — under rocks, in holes, etc. Hence, why our indoor cats love to reach into small containers and openings, they are acting on their natural instincts to find prey. Even though we provide them with their meals, they are hardwired to do this. Makes sense, right?

I’ve rounded up some of my favorite cat toys that cater specifically to a cat’s natural instinct to reach into small spaces and hunt for prey. You can also make your own hide-and-seek toy with a box or other container. Just cut some holes, add treats or small toys and watch kitty act like she’s in the wild!

SmartCat makes two of the most well known box-style puzzle toys for cats, the larger Peek-a-Prize Toy Box and the more compact Peek-and-Play Toy Box, both made with a durable finish and holes to accommodate most small toys. The Cat Amazing cardboard toy box has also been a long-time favorite of ours, offering a less expensive (however less durable) alternative.

A new cat toy that just hit stores last year, the Ripple Rug, is a large cat play mat that absolutely caters to a cat’s instincts to reach into small spaces. The top layer is perforated with holes of different sizes allowing you to make all kinds of nooks and crannies for kitty to investigate.

Puzzle toys don’t necessarily have to take the form of a box to satisfy this reaching instinct. The Catch Interactive Feeder for Cats from Northmate and Jackson Galaxy’s Go Fish Cat Toy from Petmate both keep cats entertained by creating a maze that invites cats to reach into the toy to grab treats or small toys. The Catit Design Senses Treat Maze is a vertical tower with multiple openings and levels that are endlessly intriguing for cats.

We love the Stimulo Interactive Cat Feeder! This one allows you to adjust the level of difficulty by swapping out the tubes — shorter tubes make it easier while taller tubes are more challenging.

Trixie Pet Products makes several puzzle toys that cats love, including the Snack Box for Cats and the 5-in-1 Activity Center. And finally, check out Petmate’s Hunt-a-Treat cat puzzle toy with multiple openings and a tray to catch treats as kitty grabs them from inside.