Treat ball

While talking to a woman at the Friskies area at the Home Show today, I brought up the weight issue with my cat. She suggesting buying a treat ball and putting her food in it so that she can't gulp it all down and so that she has to work to get it as well.

So... I am coming to you.... Do you have a treat ball for your cat? I am looking for an inexpensive ball, probably online since my Petsmarts do not carry them anymore... So that would mean cheap shipping as well. Any recommedations? I'd like to get her one ASAP...

Since I am trying this out, I think I might just switch her to a normal adult cat food and see if the ball thing helps... if not I will change it to weight loss after a few bags (so it's not too sudden). I brought home samples of some things and one she sniffed. The other she tore open, so I had to take it away haha I guess I will get her that food if she likes the sample!!

I have a treat ball for Baylee... are you sure Petsmart doesn't carry them anymore? Have you tried Petco or a local feed store? I'm 99% sure I got mine from Petsmart. Now if you don't mind expense, there's a Talk to Me treat ball, which everytime the cat hits the ball, it'll play a sound that you can record.

Any ball would work really, no matter how expensive... the main issue is the size of the kibble. With Baylee I would stick kibble that was in the shape of an X (like Petguard) and it'd be a bit harder for her to get out. She loved that ball... it was just a bit annoying hear it clunk around in the kitchen, lol!

Good luck!

Originally Posted by pinkdaisy226

I have a treat ball for Baylee... are you sure Petsmart doesn't carry them anymore? Have you tried Petco or a local feed store? I'm 99% sure I got mine from Petsmart. Now if you don't mind expense, there's a Talk to Me treat ball, which everytime the cat hits the ball, it'll play a sound that you can record.

Any ball would work really, no matter how expensive... the main issue is the size of the kibble. With Baylee I would stick kibble that was in the shape of an X (like Petguard) and it'd be a bit harder for her to get out. She loved that ball... it was just a bit annoying hear it clunk around in the kitchen, lol!

Good luck!

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Yeah, I tried one Petsmart, they said they didn't have them anymore... called another Petsmart and they SUPPOSEDLY had one, so I went over there.... Get there and nooooothing. I was very irked. Got online, because the guy said they should still have them online. The small one with the fishes on it isn't in stock and I don't really want to pay 8-10 dollars plus shipping for a dagnabbed treat ball! They did have the talk to me one in the dog section, but I didn't want to pay 17 dollars for that, when I'd probably just beat the crap out of it one morning when I woke up on the wrong side of the bed.

I don't shop at Petco, ever. So, I can check local pet stores if I have a chance tomorrow. Otherwise it's back to the Internet and some weird pet toy site i'm sure I've never heard of. *sigh*

Do you have a sturdy cat condo? Start feeding the cat at the top level of the condo.

Originally Posted by hissy

Do you have a sturdy cat condo? Start feeding the cat at the top level of the condo.

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No. Unforunately I cannot afford one of these. I am meerly a college student... who lives on her own and pays tons of bills!

Well my treat ball came in a pack of 4 and wasn't that pricey... but I can't find it on the Petsmart site. Do you have any feed stores near you?

Here's one from Petco, it's not that expensive:
http://www.petco.com/product_info.as...1&dept_id=%2D2

May I also recommend, if you don't already have one, The Cat Dancer? It's a great inexpensive toy that cats go NUTS for and I'm sure it'll help your cat get up and go and maybe work off a bit of that weight.

Originally Posted by pinkdaisy226

Well my treat ball came in a pack of 4 and wasn't that pricey... but I can't find it on the Petsmart site. Do you have any feed stores near you?

Here's one from Petco, it's not that expensive:
http://www.petco.com/product_info.as...1&dept_id=%2D2

May I also recommend, if you don't already have one, The Cat Dancer? It's a great inexpensive toy that cats go NUTS for and I'm sure it'll help your cat get up and go and maybe work off a bit of that weight.

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Thanks... I am weird, but I will never shop at Petco, not unless there are some major changes around the chain in general. I just can't do it.

My cat has the Hartz Cat Gym, but hasn't so much as sat by it since the first night (the first night she slept by it but that was about it)... What is a cat dancer? I don't think she would probably play with it though. She is weird.

This is the Cat Dancer:
http://www.catdancer.com/products.htm#Dancer

I assure you, I have not met a cat that can resist the Cat Dancer! It looks really boring and plain but something about it makes them go nuts.

Why wouldn't you shop at Petco? Just curious.

Here's the Talk to Me treat ball, it might be too expensive for you (no worries, I know all about being a poor college student, I still consider myself one even though I graduated nearly a year ago)... http://www.petdiscounters.com/custom...&cat=293&page=

The first one on this page has 2 for only $2... petfooddirect.com is a reputable website, though I've heard their shipping is slow (though it could be just when you order food, I don't know)
http://www.petfooddirect.com/store/d...cssid=&x=6&y=2

Other than that, maybe try ebay?

Originally Posted by pinkdaisy226

This is the Cat Dancer:
http://www.catdancer.com/products.htm#Dancer

I assure you, I have not met a cat that can resist the Cat Dancer! It looks really boring and plain but something about it makes them go nuts.

Why wouldn't you shop at Petco? Just curious.

Here's the Talk to Me treat ball, it might be too expensive for you (no worries, I know all about being a poor college student, I still consider myself one even though I graduated nearly a year ago)... http://www.petdiscounters.com/custom...&cat=293&page=

The first one on this page has 2 for only $2... petfooddirect.com is a reputable website, though I've heard their shipping is slow (though it could be just when you order food, I don't know)
http://www.petfooddirect.com/store/d...cssid=&x=6&y=2

Other than that, maybe try ebay?

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hmmm well she has lots of things on strings... she plays with them sometimes. She has so many toys that just sit around. Picky cats!

http://www.petcocruelty.com

lol that Talk to me ball is funny... I would hate hearing my voice, and I think my animals would just get confused. Who knows. She seems only to want me when I have food or a toy.

I will keep that 2-pack of balls in mind, but it kind of irritates me when it costs more to ship something than the item costs! Sheesh.

I have looked at ebay, but I may look again. I'll look at locally owned stores here, and I also might ask my mom to look at the pet supply stores (all of two) in her town before she comes up for easter.

Is there any such reports of things like that happening at Petsmart? That is where I shop sometimes and occationally a fish will be dead in the tank or dying but I have never seen anything major going on.

Originally Posted by Jen

Is there any such reports of things like that happening at Petsmart? That is where I shop sometimes and occationally a fish will be dead in the tank or dying but I have never seen anything major going on.

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The only thing I have seen with PetsMart is that they use glue traps to trap rats/mice, even after they said they would stop. The Petsmart I shop at is extremely well cared for and the manager is extremely knowledgable, so I trust that store...

The problem with Petco isn't just that the animals are dying, because that sometimes happens. The problem is, the people with power don't care about the animals to keep them healthy or help nurse them back to health (this isn't in ALL stores, I have actually looked around one near me, and it was well taken care of and all animals looked healthy), and they even encourage cruelty.

If you see a dead fish at Petsmart next time, just ask an employee or the manager to please remove it from the tank and dispose of it properly. You have a problem if they do not oblige or get an attitude. I've never seen one myself, so I haven't had to do this yet to see how this store reacts.

/rant

I picked up the two item treat ball thinking it would be a good toy for my cats. It may be that they have too many toys, but of the 5 only 1 will play with it - and then only for a few minutes every few days if she doesn't find something else she likes more! The treats loose their smell after a while so if the cats don't eat them, you have to keep changing the treats and throwing the other ones away as the cats won't eat them. So, I am putting that one into my 'not a favourite' category.

The cat dancer - which is only 2 or 3 dollars - is one of their favourite all-time toys. It is an interactive toy which means that you have to play too. Their other favourite toys are the catnip stuffed mice or sacks or stuff like that that they can bite and wrestle with, and the foam rubber balls that I throw and they chase and jump for and have great fun carrying around in their mouths.

A cute story about the treat balls: a friend of mine does wildlife animal rescue and rehabilitation. A few years ago she found a baby skunk beside its dead mother so bottle raised it, had it neutered and descented and now Oreo lives as a house-skunk. She also has two dogs - a collie and a miniature collie. She has a treat ball for the dogs and they spend hours chasing it around hoping for a treat to fall out. One day, my friend saw the skunk waddle into the room where the dogs were chasing around the treat ball. The skunk intercepted the treat ball, picked it up in its front paws and shook it to make the treats fall out. It ate each treat as it came out until the treat ball was empty at which time the skunk tossed it away. The two dogs immediately pounced on the ball and played with it for the next hour not realizing that there were no treats left inside. The skunk waddled away and went back to sleep! (VBG)

Kathryn

Originally Posted by Kathryn41

A cute story about the treat balls: a friend of mine does wildlife animal rescue and rehabilitation. A few years ago she found a baby skunk beside its dead mother so bottle raised it, had it neutered and descented and now Oreo lives as a house-skunk. She also has two dogs - a collie and a miniature collie. She has a treat ball for the dogs and they spend hours chasing it around hoping for a treat to fall out. One day, my friend saw the skunk waddle into the room where the dogs were chasing around the treat ball. The skunk intercepted the treat ball, picked it up in its front paws and shook it to make the treats fall out. It ate each treat as it came out until the treat ball was empty at which time the skunk tossed it away. The two dogs immediately pounced on the ball and played with it for the next hour not realizing that there were no treats left inside. The skunk waddled away and went back to sleep! (VBG)

Kathryn

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hahahah! That is so funny! Way to go skunk!