Giving up is information about difficulty, not character
A cat who bats a puzzle twice, looks at you, and walks away is not lazy or dim; the toy has quoted a price in effort that the first rewards did not justify. Cats learn food toys the way they learn any new hunting ground, by early success that teaches the game is worth playing. Difficult sliders, tight compartments, and toys that must be rolled a long way before anything falls out are graduation toys, not starters. For a quick quitter, the right first toy makes success almost unavoidable, pays within seconds, and lets you watch exactly which action earned the food so you can build on that action next time.
The easiest formats to begin with
Start with open, visible designs: a muffin-style tray or silicone mat with food sitting in shallow cups she can lick or scoop out, a lick mat with a tasty smear, or food scattered through the folds of a fabric snuffle mat where nosing around is the whole technique. A rolling ball with large holes, set to its widest opening and filled generously, suits cats who prefer movement, because the first roll pays immediately and teaches the cause and effect clearly. Serve a portion of her normal meal in the toy just before she would usually eat, when motivation is highest, and stay nearby to top up or rescue stuck pieces without solving the whole puzzle for her.
Raise difficulty in steps she barely notices
Once a toy is emptied happily three or four times, change exactly one thing: slightly smaller ball openings, food tucked a little deeper in the mat, or a single sliding cover added over one cup while the rest stay open. If she stalls at the new step, go back to the last winning level for the rest of that meal rather than letting frustration be the final memory of the session. Short, successful sessions of a few minutes beat one long struggle, and ending while she is still interested leaves her keener tomorrow. Keep a rough note of the level that works, because well-meaning helpers who set the toy to its hardest setting can undo a week of confidence in one mealtime.
What to avoid with a frustrated cat
Skip toys that require biting and pulling drawers, pressing levers in sequence, or extracting food from narrow tubes until the easy games are genuinely boring for her, and avoid hard plastic puzzles that rattle loudly on bare floors if she is sound-sensitive. Never let a food toy become the only way she can eat a full meal while she is learning, since a cat who cannot crack the puzzle and goes hungry learns anxiety, not skill. Wash food toys regularly, check rolling balls for trapped stale pieces, and supervise any toy with fabric or string parts. If a cat who once enjoyed puzzles suddenly stops trying, loses interest in food generally, or loses weight, arrange a veterinary check rather than assuming the toys are at fault, because appetite and energy changes deserve a medical look.
Keeping the progression shared and steady
Write down the current toy, its setting, and the next planned step where anyone feeding the cat will see it, so progress does not depend on one person's memory. Recording that mastered level in KinsLe Care Teams means the person assigned to the morning feed gives your easily frustrated cat the puzzle difficulty she has actually earned, not a harder guess.