CURIOSITY CAN CURE THE CAT

Are your cool cats and kittens living up to their intellectual potential? Felines have the approximate intelligence of a three-year-old human, but a predictable indoor life can make them less than sharp over time.

“Clicker training and food puzzles are, in my opinion, the best way to keep our cats learning, solving problems and give their brains a workout,” Julie Posluns, an applied animal behaviourist and trainer at Cat School, tells marthastewart.com. Cat owners can buy food puzzles at a pet store or make one by sealing the ends of a toilet paper roll and poking a hole in it that’ll let a treat fall out when rolled the right way.

Clicker training teaches tricks like “high-paws” or “roll over.” Taking cats outside on a leash and switching up toys can also give their brain a boost.