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Below you will find a bunch of ideas on how to Ditch the Bowl. Each idea is marked with which species it can be used with. Some ideas are easy, some are quite challenging. If you or your pet are new to this type of thing, START EASY! If you make it too challenging right off the bat, your pet may get frustrated and give up. Note that appropriateness of these ideas can vary tremendously from animal to animal, so always use your best judgement when trying a new feeding method, and monitor your pet for safety.

*Items marked with an * can be used with wet food.

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Cat Ideas

Dog Ideas

Bird and Small Animal Ideas

*Train Them!     (dogs, cats, birds, small animals) Use this opportunity to teach them something. Teach your dog to "take a bow", teach your cat to sit on cue, teach your bunny to touch a target (this can be used to teach tricks later), and teach your bird to spin (If you feed raw or canned food, get a food tube!)
Feed On A Walk    (dogs) Scatter treats in the grass for your dog to sniff out. Or stop regularly and ask for a few sits and downs to reward before you continue the walk
*KONG Toys     ​(dogs and some birds) New to Kongs? Learn how to introduce them to your dog here
*Fun Feeders     (dogs, cats) Simply pour their food into the fun feeder instead of a normal bowl. Cats will scoop it out with their paws, dogs will lick it out
Scatter It!     (dogs, cats, small animals) Simply scatter your pets serving on the floor (or floor of the cage)
Hide It!     (dogs, cats, small animals, birds) Teach your pet to find their food when you hide using these tips. Can be modified slightly to for birds and caged animals.
*Stuff a Trachea     (dogs) Fill a trachea with their canned or raw food.
Snuffle Mat     (dogs) Let your pet sniff their dinner out of this unique mat
Romaine Lettuce     (birds, small animals) Take the heel of romaine lettuce and stuff it with food and treats
DIY Toys     (dogs, cats, birds, small animals) Simply Google "DIY food toys for dogs/cats/birds/rabbits/guinea pigs/etc"
Unbleached Coffee Filters (easy)    (birds) Cut filter into small pieces. Place one filter down, put food on it, place another filter on top, place food on that filter, place another filter, then food, etc until all food is used.
Unbleached Coffee Filter (hard)     (birds) Cut filter into small pieces. Place food in center of filter, fold sides up and twist together to create a little pouch with the food in the center.
​*Toilet Paper Roll (easy)    (small animals, birds, some dogs) Take an empty toilet paper and place food inside. Leave ends open and place where your pet can get to it
*Toilet Paper Roll (harder)    ​(small animals, birds,some dogs) Same as above, but fold the ends in
*Egg Carton     (dogs, cats, small animals, birds) Place food in an empty paper egg carton. Also works well with wet food.
*Muffin Pan     (dogs, cats) Place food in the cups of a muffin pan
Treat Balls    (dogs, cats, small animals)
​*Coffee Cup     (cats) Place food in a coffee cup, place the cup on its side. The handle keeps the cup from rolling all over the place as the cats scoop out food.
Box Foraging     (dogs, maybe small animals) Take an empty cardboard box (the bigger the better, can also use a kiddie pool), cut the sides down so your pet can put it's head into the box and reach the bottom. Fill with crumpled paper, empty boxes, plastic containers, toys, towels, and anything else you can think of. Scatter food in the box and let your pet find it.
*Box Foraging #2     (dogs, small animals, birds) Put food in empty boxes (cracker, cereal, tissue, etc). Leave them open to make it easier, close them to make it more challenging, stack them for the biggest challenge.

A big thank you to Linda Cooper for her video of Lyric checking out a box tower! Lyric is a little afraid of boxes and wasn't quite sure what to do. If your dog is worried by the tower, try making the tower smaller, or placing the box with the food at the top of the tower.