Cat Wheel!

So my dad is completely awesome . He made me a cat wheel (a surprise to boot). Anyway I'm thrilled. It took Meeka about 5 minutes to figure out how to use it. Hope came along the next day and seems to like it the most. Autumn isn't sure about it and though has taken a few steps on it, she has yet to go back.

They still get going a little faster than they know what to do with so they end up falling off. They currently go in spurts. Meeka will sometimes start running with her front paws on it not knowing how to get her back end up once she gets started (she's pregnant, so a little clumsy). I'm thrilled they like it!







If anyone is interested in making one my dad did a great write-up on how he made it. He is going to submit it to a woodworking magazine in case they might find it amusing and different. PM me if you are interested.

That looks like a really excellent bit of carpentry.

Your cats are having a great time, very good idea. Like a giant
hamster wheel

Wow - what a great way for indoor cats to exercise!!!

Originally Posted by Rockcat

Wow - what a great way for indoor cats to exercise!!!

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I agree!! That is sooo cool! I've never heard of a 'cat wheel' before.....
And I'm glad your cats like it. Looks like they're having fun!

That is incredible!!!!!! I am impressed!!! I want one!!!

Wow, thats wonderful!!

Wow, thats so awesome! Your dad is SO talented - I want one!

WOW! That is SO cool!

Your dad deserves a high five and a pat on the back! That is just wonderful

That is hysterical!! I never thought of that before - your Dad is very creative!!

thats so awesome! i want one!!!

That's super cool, though I can't imagine my cats playing on it! Must be a curious Bengal thing!

Thanks everyone! It has taken off in the bengal world. I know of at least 3 breeders that make and sell them. The most popular (maybe the founder?) is fitnesswheel.com (they have videos of the cats using them!). Anyway its hilarious to watch them. The price was way out of my league but I managed to convince my dad to give it a try! The site is worth checking out just for the videos .

Thats brilliant!. What a way of making sure they have some exercise as well as enjoying it

I want one too!! My dad is very handy as well and does a lot of woodwork. Are the plans very complicated? I would love to give it a shot. Mine would go nuts!

Just pm me your e-mail and I will send the plans to you. They involve a fair amount of carpentry. The overall cost was probably $50-100 in materials. The mechanism to turn the wheel turned out to be simpler than my dad planned (a swivel wheel).

I did the apple in front of the horse last night. It was hilarious! Meeka was on the wheel and I held her toy up and she went to town trying to get it. As soon as I took the toy away she decided it wasn't near as fun. She actually enjoyed having that toy right in front of her! She was going full blast on the wheel.

Originally Posted by SolarityBengals

Just pm me your e-mail and I will send the plans to you. They involve a fair amount of carpentry. The overall cost was probably $50-100 in materials. The mechanism to turn the wheel turned out to be simpler than my dad planned (a swivel wheel).

I did the apple in front of the horse last night. It was hilarious! Meeka was on the wheel and I held her toy up and she went to town trying to get it. As soon as I took the toy away she decided it wasn't near as fun. She actually enjoyed having that toy right in front of her! She was going full blast on the wheel.

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That's great!!! Thanks so much! Just sent you a PM.
I'm so excited. $50-$100 - that's not bad at all for what your dad made. It's beautiful!

Not only is it a great idea, but the quality of the wood and workmanship are fabulous! It is just beautiful...and nice of the kitties to model it for you! LOL! I wonder if other breeds would use it?

Maybe he can alter it so it doesn't get moving too fast, if the kitties don't get the hang of it on their own? I'll bet he could make a lot of money selling those at a cat show or something...or even taking orders to build them.

Very impressive!

Wow those are great pictures.

Mine would use it as an extra sleeping spot

So many people have suggested he sell his furniture (this wheel barely scratches what he can do...) but this was his response from a friend who asked the same thing about the wheel:

I don't think anyone would want to ante up the money I would have to charge. Then if I did sell any I would have to actually build them. Making one is fun making several is work. I generally vote for fun over work. Then there is the whole problem of running a business. That's no fun either.

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I think any high energy cat will enjoy these. If you want a cat to get more exercise because he is lazy then he probably woulnd't care a whole lot about the wheel. But its a great outlet for a cat that never has enough to do. I bet Siamese and related cats would also do well with these. Especially kittens! I bet if they started young enough too....

So in less than a week I am seeing improvment in how they control the speed. I guess its like when you step on a treadmill for the first time. If you slow to quickly or just stop you are going to want to fall over. I saw Meeka last night bring the wheel to a complete stop from a full run. So they are learning! Hope hasn't gotten that far with it yet... Autumn thinks this whole thing is for her amusement, watching the youngsters.