We’ve put together a list of some of our favourite products that we use all the time. If you find them helpful and decide to make a purchase through the links provided, we may earn a small commission from Amazon at no extra cost to you. Thanks for supporting us!
Treats
Ziwi Air Dried Bikkies: Ziwi air-dried bikkies are one of our favourite choices for low-value treats because they’re a complete and balanced raw food option, gently air-dried to preserve nutrients. The bikkies are cut into tiny squares, making them perfect for food puzzles (or for quick treats during training). We also love using them as our go-to breakfast when we’re living on the road. The venison and lamb varieties are particularly great—in countries like Australia and New Zealand, lamb and deer and typically pasture raised and considered free-range and grass fed, ensuring a high-quality, ethical protein source. We appreciate knowing that these animals had plenty of room to roam, which aligns with our values.
Freeze Dry Australia Single Protein Treat Varieties: We absolutely love Freeze Dry Australia’s single-protein raw freeze-dried treats. They’re perfect for complementing Kepler’s homemade raw food diet, providing high-quality nutrition that aligns with his needs. The variety is fantastic—ranging from chicken, venison, emu, and crocodile to mussels, sardines, and salmon bellies—which keeps Kepler engaged and ensures the treats remain valuable. These are by far our favourite go-to for everyday rewards, and I use them constantly for most tasks and tricks, making them a staple in his training routine. I portion them out using the 80:10:10 raw feeding guidelines, ensuring that while these treats aren’t considered a balanced and complete food, they still offer a healthy balance of muscle meat, organs, meaty bones, and fish. One tip: since the treats are larger, I break them up before serving. When Kepler was a kitten, I’d chop them into smaller pieces ahead of time, because it’s important to reward good behaviour immediately. Use the code FDKELPER10 to get 10% off orders over $20!
Churu Treats and Treat Jar: Churu treats are our go-to high-value rewards for teaching complex tasks or behaviours that need extra incentive (like bathing). They are low calorie, and do not contain preservatives, but they do have added flavours and contain tapioca which is starch, so treat them like a desert. We are fussy raw feeders and approve of them for special occasions. Always keep one in your treat pouch’s zipper pocket for quick access. The Churu Jar is the perfect size to use as treat jar (just peel that ugly sticker off). You won’t have to refill it too often, and since it’s made of durable plastic, it won’t break. We take it on all our road trips as an emergency recall tool—just a shake of the jar brings Kepler running every time, even when he sneaks away!
Training Tools
Kurgo Treat Pouch: We highly recommend always keeping a treat pouch attached to your hip, so you never miss an opportunity to reward your cat for good behaviour. We absolutely love this treat pouch—it’s super easy to clip on, features a drawstring closure to keep curious paws out, and even has a handy zip pocket for storing poo bags and a clicker.
Place Mats: We highly recommend getting a couple of round, cotton rope woven placemats—they’re affordable and incredibly useful for training your cat to sit in a designated spot. Look for good-quality mats that are washable, so they’ll last for years. Just be cautious if the mat is made from sisal or similar textured material, as your cat might be tempted to scratch them. Cats are naturally drawn to the place mat as a defined place to sit, making it an excellent tool during training. Kepler has a mat on the dresser by the door where we put on his harness before going outside. Every morning, he sits on his mat in my office to let me know he’s ready for his puzzle routine. The one we use is 33cm, and I would say that is an ideal size.
Bar Stool: We love using bar stools as elevated placemats for Kepler. One of his stools is stationed in the kitchen, where he patiently waits for his meals, while the other travels around the house, giving him a designated perch so he can always keep a close eye on things. These stools are his special spots, offering him a great vantage point and the perfect mix of style and function. To add a personal touch, consider upholstering your stools with unique, locally-designed fabric. As part of our art practice, we create stunning eco-printed kangaroo leather/suede, perfect for a one-of-a-kind upholstery piece. Get in touch if you would like to commission us for custom textile work to turn your bar stool into a functional piece of art.
Clicker: A clicker is a training device that you can use to precisely mark behaviour you want to reinforce. It produces a sharp, consistent sound, signalling to your cat that what they’re doing is ‘good’ and that a treat is on its way. Clickers are particularly useful when starting out, during structured training sessions, for teaching complex tasks, or refining specific actions. To use it, simply pair the sound with a treat i.e., click, then reward. Your cat will quickly learn that a click = treats, which leads to good feelings, and so they’ll start repeating the behaviours that earn that click. While carrying a clicker around isn’t always convenient, pairing it with the word ‘Yes’ helps you stay flexible. We don’t use ours much anymore, but it’s always clipped to the treat pouch, ready for when we need it!
Target Stick: A target stick is an incredibly useful tool that should be part of every adventure cat’s training kit. It’s like an extended finger, allowing you to direct your cat without bending down. You can use it to guide your cat, teach them to follow, move to specific locations, or even jump over objects. When Kepler was a kitten, I used a target stick (with a bit of creamy treat on the end of the ball target) to teach him to walk beside me. The ball on the end helps cats focus on something tangible. Teaching your cat to follow is important because it helps establish control and keeps your cat safe on walks or adventures. When your cat follows rather than leads, you’re in control of the direction and pace, and you remain in your cat’s sight, making them feel more secure. This connection builds trust and allows you to confidently guide them through new environments. We like this target stick because it has a built-in clicker. Bonus!
Paracord Lead and Brass Mini Carabiner: We love paracord for a lead because it’s lightweight, easy to handle, and packs down into a small coil that fits neatly in a pocket or treat pouch. Unlike bulky dog leads, paracord doesn’t weigh Kepler down, and the mini carabiners allow for smooth movement without clips resting on his back or restricting him. Plus, when we lose the lead (and we do), we just cut a new length to size. Paracord comes in lots of fun colours, so you can easily match them to any harness, giving your gear a personalised touch. When Kepler was a kitten, and I was teaching him to follow without holding the lead, I used a longer length to make sure I could quickly step on it if needed. Now that he’s great at following, I like a 3.5 m length. I can drop it and trust him to stay close, but I usually keep it attached for safety (there are exceptions like tree climbing and running in our local park), especially during trips away from home. It gives us a perfect balance of safety and freedom for him to explore!
Poo Bags: We love using Oh Crap poo bags because they’re Australian made, eco-friendly, and fully compostable (made from cornstarch), which means they help reduce plastic waste. We buy the giant 12 months supply box, and trust me we use them, one goes into the zipper pocket in our treat pouch, another lives in the hip pack, and there are is always one in a little dispenser in the van.
Educational Puzzles
Kepler loves his puzzles so much that every morning, when I come into my office, he’s patiently waiting on his placemat, eager for me to fill them. He could spend the entire day solving puzzles if I let him! I give him these puzzles because they provide the mental stimulation he craves, keeping his mind sharp and engaged, helping prevent boredom. The puzzles tap into his natural instincts to explore and work for his rewards, offering a fun and rewarding challenge. Not only do they help keep him focused and happy, but they also reduce any anxiety by giving him a productive outlet for his energy. It’s become such a vital part of his daily routine—watching him get so much joy and enrichment from solving them makes it all worthwhile!
My Intelligent Pets Sudoku Travel Puzzle: This Sudoku slider puzzle replaced a wooden version we accidentally left out in the rain, which was Kepler’s absolute favourite for a long time. He mastered it pretty quickly, so now I just use low-value treats in each compartment, as he solves it in no time. The stoppers don’t really work for cats unless your cat enjoys picking things up with their mouth, but that’s ok, I think the puzzle is still worth it. Consider getting just the sudoku slider side, they sell that separately HERE. Don’t bother getting the one with the six tiles, it’s way too easy. We’ve repurposed the stoppers and use them in our rainy day puzzle to increase the difficulty of the spinning wheel.
Nina Ottoson Riny Day Puzzle: This is an excellent puzzle for intermediate puzzle masters! We’ve only recently added it to our collection, but it’s challenging enough and has plenty of compartments to keep Kepler engaged for quite some time. I like to put lower-value rewards in the easier-to-access compartments and reserve the freeze-dried treats for the harder ones. To increase the difficulty, I’ve added a plug to one of the spinning wheel holes. The variety of rewards and compartments helps keep him focused and entertained.
The Mix Max Puzzle: This puzzle is suitable for an experienced puzzler. Kepler is particularly engaged with this one because I fill it with high-value treats. There are actually three versions of this puzzle: A (the one linked) is the easiest, B has a spinning wheel with four cutouts in the centre, and C has a spinning wheel with a single cutout (this is where Kepler starts to disengage). Though, I must say, the clever little guy has figured out that it’s easier to lick the treats out from under the caps rather than pawing them out! Still, this is the most challenging puzzle we own, and alongside the ones described above, it keeps him entertained for quite a while.
Doc and Phoebe Hide and Seek Mouse: Before I started working from home, I used to fill these little mouse toys with air-dried raw bikkies and hide them around the house before heading to the office. Now, I do it less often (I’m a bit out of routine, and it seems like Kepler doesn’t have to work very hard to get the treats out once he finds them, so i give him more challenging puzzles instead), but it’s still fun to watch him problem-solve, especially when retrieving them from higher shelves. It’s a great way to keep him entertained and engaged, and I highly recommend these as an additional food puzzle to help your cat work for their treats and mix things up from time to time. Just make sure you don’t hide them anywhere your cat could injure himself, like on a shelf that could easily fall over.
Cat Amazing Cardboard Slider Food Puzzle: When Kepler was a kitten, this was one of his first puzzles, and he would spend a lot of time poking his paws in, trying to get his treats out. We highly recommend it as a starter puzzle for kittens, as it provides just the right level of challenge to keep them engaged. For more experienced cats, it might be a little too simple, though still fun. The one downside is that since it’s made of cardboard, food particles tend to get stuck in the corners and folds, making it difficult to clean. Despite that, it’s a great introductory puzzle for young explorers!
Outdoor Adventures
EVOC Hip Pack: I absolutely love this bum bag, which we’ve affectionately named ‘Kepler’s pouch.’ I wear it around my hip every time we go for a walk, with the treat pouch usually attached. As someone who bikes a lot, I saw so much value in this pack because it doubles as a biking or light hiking mini-pack, complete with a hydration bladder. It holds everything—leads, clicker, whistle, basic first aid, poo bags, creamy treats, gimbal, phone, keys, sunscreen, water, and anything else I need on hand. Having everything in one place all the time is so important, and this bag makes it effortless. I can’t recommend it enough! I wear it religiously whenever Kepler and I are heading out, even if it’s just across the road to the park. Top-notch product—you really can’t go wrong with it.
Kurgo Train Backpack: We originally bought this backpack for Kepler to ride in, but he quickly decided he preferred sitting on our shoulders! So, we customised it by building a ‘mobile throne’ using PVC piping that attaches to the backpack. If you end up purchasing this backpack and want to build your own mobile throne, feel free to reach out—we’d be happy to guide you through the process. I chose this backpack because it’s super comfortable and less bulky, plus it doubles as a regular backpack when your cat’s not inside. If your cat is anything like Kepler, he’ll probably prefer climbing onto your shoulder—so why not build him his own throne, to make the trip comfy for you both?