Cats And Jigsaw Puzzles.  The Missing Piece Puzzle Company

Cats And Jigsaw Puzzles.

I love animals and consider myself both a puzzle addict and a great pet Mom.  I also know the havoc that a beloved pet can cause when a prized puzzle awaits completion on my puzzle table.

A customer submitted a photo of Jazzy who didn't want to be ignored and came to rest upon their puzzle that was set up on the puzzle table and was too good to pass up. Jazzy had to be a part of the puzzle team and quickly jumped onto the puzzle table, pawing at each piece. 

Helpful?  Maybe, or maybe not.

black cat laying on a puzzle - The Missing Piece Puzzle Company

 

Why Do Cats Like To Interrupt You When You Puzzle?

Often, I see many people post about their pets either eating a puzzle piece or brazenly knocking their work-in-progress off of the table.  Usually and with a smug grin on their face and definitely no look of remorse, our pets try to help us assemble our masterpieces.  I've noticed that it seems that an inordinate amount of the pets that are the culprits of scattering puzzle pieces onto the floor seem to be cats.

I like cats but I admit that I have a slight fear due to a Siamese cat in my childhood tormenting every human it encountered.  While I do not personally have a cat as a pet, I do have several large dogs that have been known to chew a piece and spit it out on the floor without any regard for my masterpiece.  While my dogs are known to chew pieces, I've noticed that cats simply like to push puzzle pieces off of an area, lay their bodies on the puzzle, and dare their owner to ignore them for one more second, or its mayhem on the puzzle table.  

(Kori the cat submitted by Greg and Darla)

As we look at this beautiful photo of Kori we can see that cats LOVE puzzles and often want to help.  Perhaps they want to help too much but I believe that it has something to do with them being left out of the process.  After all, who can pass a puzzle without wanting to help?

Many cat owners speculate that it is all a  matter of gaining attention.  Cats love to capture the attention of humans, especially when their human is preoccupied and not paying attention to them.  Cats seem to love being the center of attention at all times. 

Cats have a strong instinct to pounce.  Puzzles have some moving pieces so they make great play objects for a cat.  They are, essentially, irresistible.  

How To Keep A Cat Off Of The Puzzle

There are many suggestions on how to keep a cat off of a puzzle in progress.  The solutions are usually temporary and focused on preserving the puzzle that is currently on the table. 

Many avid puzzlers will place a plastic sheet on top of the puzzle.  Some will use towels on the top of the puzzle, while others roll their masterpieces up on a puzzle mat.  Whichever of these methods works for you, will probably not work for your cat.  I've heard of people using the tri-fold presentation boards for smaller puzzles so that they can be folded and moved without disturbing the pieces.

Everyone agrees that aluminum foil is a cat's kryptonite.  Cats seem to steer clear of anything with aluminum foil, so placing a sheet over the puzzle just might save you a ton of time.

A wonderful suggestion includes a fitted sheet placed around the table that you are using to assemble a puzzle.  This idea sounds simple and time effective.

Whichever your choice to preserve your puzzle work in progress, it's always helpful to know that your cat loves you and will do anything for your attention, so just take a break, love your cat, and then puzzle on.

Please show me your favorite photos of your cat "helping" with your puzzle.  I'd love to see how many cats can resist a good jigsaw puzzle.  I'm sure there aren't many...  Here's Kori taking a break from the puzzling action!  What a beautiful helper.

cat napping in a puzzle box. The Missing Piece Puzzle Company

Share your image and we may choose it to feature on our social media, blog, website, and other areas.