Nose Work Enrichment for Cats: A Fun Way to Engage Your Feline Friend!

At RSPCA NSW, we understand that keeping our cats both mentally and physically stimulated is the key to their happiness and health. Cats are natural hunters, and love engaging their hunting instincts! This makes nose work enrichment one of the best and easiest ways that everyday cat owners can greatly enhance their cat’s wellbeing and quality of life.

What is Nose work?

Nose work is a form of enrichment that encourages your cat to use their sense of smell to seek, sniff out, and hunt down hidden treats or their favourite toys. Dr Findy Wills, an expert at Let’s Talk Paws Veterinary Behaviour Services, recommends playing a simple game to engage your cat’s natural hunting instincts. Easy to implement at home, the activity encourages cats to tap into their problem-solving skills, providing them with both mental stimulation and physical exercise.

Integrating Nose Work into Your Cat’s Routine

To begin a nose work game, you’ll need the following items:

– A variety of boxes – start with 4-5 different sizes such as shoe boxes, delivery boxes, takeout containers, or bowls.

– A “hide”: Use boiled white fish, chicken, or turkey cut into small cubes, about the size of half a fingernail. Fresh meat is recommended, especially for your cat’s first experience with this game.

Step 1: Teaching Your Cat the Game

– Start by placing your cat in another room so that it feels like entering a new “arena” when you set up the boxes.

– Arrange 4-5 boxes in a straight line.

– Place a piece of meat in each container. Keep the difficulty low at first; your cat needs to understand the concept of the game before you increase the challenge.

– Allow your cat to enter the room and explore the boxes. Try not to guide your cat or show them where the treats are hidden. You can walk around to encourage them but avoid pointing.

– Every time your cat discovers a “hide,” reward them by placing a second treat right where they found the first one. This reinforces the goal of the game: “Find the Hide.”

– Continue this process until your cat actively investigates the boxes whenever you let them into the room. Once they’re comfortable, you can begin to introduce more complexity.

Step 2: Increasing Complexity

– Once your cat is confidently seeking treats in a line of boxes, start to change things up.

– Introduce variations by hiding treats in selective boxes.

– You can also increase the challenge by:

– Arranging the boxes in a circle.

– Stacking boxes on top of each other.

– Nesting boxes within each other.

Tip: The key aspect of this exercise is allowing your cat to problem-solve and enjoy themselves – they might be smarter than you think! If your cat seems confused and doesn’t catch on, it’s likely that the challenge is still too overwhelming. If this is the case, go back to step one and try to simplify the task, ensuring your cat understands that their job is to find the food using their natural instincts.

When your cat has a chance to figure out a problem of their own, without social distractions, we get to see a real, unfiltered side of how they’re processing things. It’s interesting to watch them sniff around, even if they get a bit frustrated with tricky hiding spots. These observations help us better understand what our cats are capable of, how they take in information, and how they solve problems, helping us better see their world through the eyes of our feline friends.

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