Baby Bonnie on the Wheel!

gingersmom

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Here she is, running on the "bengul" cat wheel, with a little encouragement from a friend who is visiting me from Massachusetts.

This is pretty much the same way I trained Max to use the wheel - only with Bonnie, she was already starting to use it on her own just by watching Max and Penny do it!


 

babywukong

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Wow I've never seen such a wheel for kitties! Looks like a darn good idea
Bonnie is such a cutie as well
 

mrblanche

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Was this wheel made commercially, or did you make it yourself, or what?
 
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gingersmom

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Originally Posted by mrblanche

Was this wheel made commercially, or did you make it yourself, or what?
It was made by a MN bengal breeder's husband. I don't know if they are still making them - it looks nice enough and does the trick, but it's too heavy and has flaws I don't like. Someday when I can afford it I am going to go for the higher quality steel and plexi wheel like the one that Kai Bengals has in his home.
 

white cat lover

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She looks so tiny in that big wheel!
Can I ask - any guess as to what she weighs now?
 
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gingersmom

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Originally Posted by white cat lover

She looks so tiny in that big wheel!
Can I ask - any guess as to what she weighs now?
Well, according to my postage scale, right now she weighs about 4 1/2 pounds!


She's a little "monstah!"
 

ut0pia

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Awww it looks like a hamster wheel!! hehe good way for kitties to burn some energy
 

kai bengals

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That wheel looks just the right size for Bonnie to really get it flying. Any luck coaxing Ginger or Ferris to go for run on it?

Runner will have absolutely nothing to do with the wheel. As a matter of fact I have never seen a long haired cat run on a wheel.

Eva has a wheel too and if I remember correctly only 3 of her 11 cats will run on it. I think Pam has one as well that became a giant paperweight
Hopefully her cats have started using it.
 
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gingersmom

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Originally Posted by Kai Bengals

That wheel looks just the right size for Bonnie to really get it flying. Any luck coaxing Ginger or Ferris to go for run on it?

Runner will have absolutely nothing to do with the wheel. As a matter of fact I have never seen a long haired cat run on a wheel.

Eva has a wheel too and if I remember correctly only 3 of her 11 cats will run on it. I think Pam has one as well that became a giant paperweight
Hopefully her cats have started using it.
No luck with the other moggies whatsoever. To them it just does not exist. I think if they ever did try to run in it (in some alternate universe) that Max or Penny would commandeer it from them almost immediately.


I honestly think the only reason Bonnie is allowed to use it is because Max has taken SUCH a shine to her, having taken her under his paw to teach her the ways of the "bengul." Therefore she is considered a special case.


She completely adores him and watches everything he does, so the fact that she has picked up walking in the wheel (as opposed to running in it) is because that's how he uses it. He goes for very long walks in it just about every night. In fact, I can hear it slowly turning right now - and Bonnie is asleep on my lap, so I know it's him.


It's much too small for him to get it going too fast; his body is just too long. Only Penny uses it for very brief "runs," usually getting herself tossed out at the apex when she gets going too fast. In fact, she enjoys that short flight through the air, so she actually does it on purpose.
And she actually prefers to run in it when there are humans watching - she's quite the show off.


Maybe Bonnie will eventually mimic her technique as well!
 
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