TRIXIE Fun Board review: the puzzle feeder that grows with your cat

Most puzzle feeders have one mechanism: dig, spin, or lift. A cat that figures it out in a week has nothing left to solve, and the feeder ends up in a drawer. The TRIXIE Fun Board tries to get ahead of that by putting five differently-designed modules (Globes, Pegs, Alley, Tongue, and Tunnel) on one board.

How the five modules actually differ

Each module asks for a different motion: nosing a ball out of a globe, working a treat past a peg, sliding it down a narrow alley, flipping a tongue-style flap, or fishing it out of a tunnel. In practice, cats tend to master two or three of the easier modules within the first week and take noticeably longer on the alley and tunnel sections, which is roughly the intended effect: it naturally sorts into an easy tier and a harder tier without you having to manage difficulty yourself.

Where it falls short

Because the modules aren’t equally difficult, a cat can get a full meal from the easy ones alone and never engage with the harder ones. If your goal is specifically to slow down eating rather than add mental stimulation, you may need to occasionally block off the easier modules to force engagement with the rest.

Sizing note

TRIXIE markets this specifically for small to average-sized cats. If you have a larger cat with big paws, some of the narrower modules (particularly the alley) can be frustrating rather than engaging, which is worth keeping in mind before buying.

Who this is actually for

This is a good first puzzle feeder for a cat that’s never used one, precisely because it doesn’t lock you into a single difficulty level. If you already know your cat is a fast learner, pairing it with a second, harder single-mechanism feeder from our puzzle feeder roundup will get you further than this alone.