Research overview: scatter feeding, hidden food and extending foraging time in captive cats

Wild cats spend much of their active time searching for, stalking and processing prey, whereas captive cats are often fed a single quick meal. This overview surveys husbandry research on scatter feeding, hidden food caches, puzzle feeders and variable feeding schedules designed to lengthen foraging time and reduce inactivity and stereotypy. It examines evidence that spatial and temporal unpredictability of food increases exploration and species-typical behaviour, the risk that fixed feeding times entrench anticipatory pacing, and how feeding enrichment interacts with body condition management. The synthesis emphasises that manipulating when, where and how food appears is among the most reliable and low-cost welfare levers available to felid keepers.