FAQs

Check out our full instruction guide.

Each Pawzzle is made up of 6 pieces: a top (with 9 holes), a base (no holes), and 4 walls (3 holes).

We recommend starting with the base and adding the walls. First, get all the walls on loosely. Then place on a flat surface and gently press down where the walls meet the base to secure the connections. Once the walls are up and snug, add the top. Give all the joints another gentle-but-firm squeeze to secure the connections and eliminate any visible gaps.

Although you can take your Pawzzle apart and put it back together again, we don’t recommend doing this too often as the connections may become loose — get a hooman puzzle!

Everything should pressure fit together, eliminating the need for glue. However, if you notice the connections become loose, say after your cat swipes it off the shelf for the hundredth time, you can always fix it by adding a spot of wood glue in the joints. Leave overnight to dry before giving it back to your kitty.

The Pawzzle is 7.75” (20 cm) square and 2.5” (6.4 cm) in height. The holes are 1.75” (4.5 cm) in diameter. Plenty of space for paws of all sizes.

The main source of material for Pawzzles! Fondfolio is our other business where we make one of a kind collaborative memory books. They make great gifts for special people and occasions :)

Sure! Each Pawzzle is made by hand and although the materials cost is lower because we’re repurposing scrap material (~$25), the labour cost is not. Each Pawzzle takes us ~1.25 hrs to make — from cutting the parts, assembling the feet, testing and packing (watch our How It’s Made video). Right now we’re just a small team of two people, but we believe in fair compensation for time, not merely minimum wage. We also donate 10% of each sale to animal welfare initiatives (more about that here). We believe that companies like Amazon, who use underhanded techniques to undercut small businesses, have distorted perceptions on the true cost of a product and think our pricing is fair.

We’re currently not able to support customized Pawzzles. This is something we may consider in the near future though, so email us and let us know what you had in mind!

Everywhere!

Most orders will arrive within 5-7 business days

Learning to Pawzzle comes about in three stages: identifying that there is food in the device, usually by smelling it or seeing/hearing you place it there; the desire to obtain it; and finally, trying different ways to access the food. As your cat successfully obtains the food, they will learn that the action that immediately preceded this one they need to try again in order to get more food

No, we do not cover customs charges. These fees are, unfortunately, beyond our control.

There’s nothing worse than ordering a great product and then have it come to you in layers of single-use plastic which you then have to dispose of — kind of takes the joy out of it.

It’s important to us that our packaging is plastic-free and uses only recycled materials. Our padded envelopes are 100% recycled paper. We wrap each Pawzzle in a sheet of recycled tissue (which can be safely composted). We even use paper tape and paper document sleeves so the entire envelope can be put in the recycling.

Let your cat observe the Pawzzle first, from a safe distance, allowing it to determine if it can approach — with caution — to explore further. Don’t push the Pawzzle into their space or place them beside it — cats like to be in control of the situation. If your cat isn’t highly food-motivated we recommend introducing them to the Pawzzle right before you’d normally feed them, when they’re more hungry.

Cats find play rewarding in and of itself so we designed the Pawzzle to accommodate ping-pong balls, small mice and wand-based creatures.

A Pawwzle can help stimulate your cat during times when you can’t play with them, but they shouldn’t be relied on as a substitute for quality interactive play time. Play time is a great opportunity to strengthen your bond.

If they seem unsure and don’t want to approach you can try luring them over with a treat. A bit of food can be placed on or near the Pawzzle to reward natural exploration.

Switch it up! Cats, just like people, become disinterested if they receive the same reward over and over again. So if they stop they might not necessarily be “bored” with playing, they simply need a fresh stimulus to remain motivated — try putting their favourite small toy in the Pawzzle, drag a wand toy or rope through the holes, or try a different treat.

Cats are sometimes fussy when it comes to food so you may need to experiment to find the treat that best motivates them. The treats we include are Hill’s Prescription Diet — their odd shape is designed to reduce the buildup of plaque & tartar and we’ve found they work well in the Pawzzle.

Pawzzles are made from locally-sourced material that would otherwise go to waste and our packaging is 100% plastic free. We know we could still be doing more, watch this space.

We highly recommend The Trainable Cat by John Bradshaw and Sarah Ellis.

Make sure you’re not over-feeding your cat by adding Pawzzle sessions to their diet. Less treats will make the Pawzzle more challenging. Start with 3-5 and see how that goes.