Help Your Pet Hit a Pot of Gold With This DIY
Make sure your pet’s St. Patrick’s Day is up to snuffle with this DIY mat. Physical exercise is crucial, but mental stimulation is just as important and is part of an overall pet wellness plan! This mat helps work your pet’s brain by allowing them to use their nose to search for dry food you’ve hidden. When they find it, they’ll feel pretty lucky!
Got a speedy eater? It can help slow down pets who tend to inhale their food rather than eat it. Make sure to always supervise while the snuffle mat is in use.
What you’ll need:
- 1.5–2 metres of felt or fleece in colours of your choice (We used green and gold for St. Patrick’s Day.)
- Rubber sink mat with holes
- Scissors and/or utility knife
Step 1:
Cut your fabric into strips, approximately 2–3 cm wide and 15 cm long. We found our scissors were a bit too dull to do this cleanly, so we laid our fabric on a large plastic cutting board and carefully cut the strips using a utility knife.
Step 2:
Poke one end of the strip through the first hole and the other end through the second hole. Tie once. (There’s no need to double knot!)
Step 3:
Poke the next strip through the second and third holes, tie, and repeat this process across the first two rows.
Step 4:
Next, you’ll connect the first and second rows vertically. Poke one end of the strip through the first hole in the first row, and the other end through the first hole in the second row.
Step 5:
Continue steps 2–4 until you’ve completed the entire mat.
Step 6:
Now the fun part. Add your pet’s favourite dry food throughout the mat, leaving a few easier-to-find pieces visible and let the fun begin!
Since the mat is made of fabric, it isn’t suitable for wet food. You’ll likely want to wash your mat occasionally on a gentle, cold cycle and air dry.