One of the hardest things to do for an indoors cat is provide them with enough exercise to keep them fit and healthy. Cats that don’t move about enough are prone to putting on weight and risk getting diabetes – all of which makes for both sad kittie and sad owners.
Indeed, I saw this problem with my own cat, Fflwff, when she went to live with my parents down in Dorset. Introducing an adult cat into a household of three other adult cats (all female) is pretty tricky, and Fflwff spent about three months living on top of the wardrobe. She slept up there, ate up there, and only came down in the middle of the night to use the litter tray.
Fflwff’s a big cat, easily twice the size of some of the other cats we’ve had, and as such it’s important that her weight is kept in check. Unfortunately, even after my parents other cats died – thus giving her full ownership of the house – she did put on some pounds, getting up to 8.6kg (19lbs) at her podgiest. The vet recommended we get at least a kilogram off her, but that’s not easy for a cat that likes to sit about and sleep a lot!
The cure for Fflwff turned out to be the acquisition of two feisty kittens who now chase her round the house and steal her food, but that’s not an option for everyone. Providing you’ve got the room, though, a cat wheel can be a really good way to get your moggies moving.
The videos on YouTube of cats running on cat wheels seem mainly to be of Bengals, but don’t let that put you off – the idea is sound for any breed of cat or colour of moggie.
You can buy cat wheels from companies such as The Cat Wheel Company or PetZones, although they’re far from cheap. Given the concept of a wheel isn’t hard to grasp, it might be cheaper to find a local craftsman to make one for you. So long as the wheel is well supported and not too heavy, it should be pretty easy to make.
What may not be so easy is getting your cat to use it! The Cat Wheel Company has a few suggestions on training:
The main thing, I suspect, is to use positive re-inforcement. Use a toy initially to get them to understand that when they run the wheel moves, give food rewards every time they run to start with, then once the behaviour is established give random rewards to maintain it. A lot of cats seem to really love running on their wheels, so depending on the attitude of yours, it may not be that hard to get them to exercise.
It may seem strange to see a cat running on a wheel, but they clearly enjoy it and I’m definitely going to think about where I could put a cat wheel in when I come to designing my house. After all, well-exercised cats are not just healthier, they’re also less likely to exhibit bad behaviour, such as scratching or shredding, as a result of boredom.
Besides that, cat + wheel = hours of entertainment, so its a win-win situation for both hoomans and kittehs!
