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Pet treadmill

Exercise your cat (or dog) without moving
  (+6, -1)
(+6, -1)
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against]

I've got this wonderful but very overweight and excessively underexercised ex-diabetic cat who desperately needs to lose weight to get another few years of life. Since he's not able to eat the usual diet foods and won't move one paw in front of the other except at feeding times (sleeps ALL the rest of the day) I figured one excellent way would be to make a treadmill for him - all you need is a snug cat-sized box with a good fitting lid - don't want the beggar jumping out too quickly now do we - then get some kind of a conveyor belt - has to be something out there that would fit the bill - put it on the floor of the box and fit a variable motor to it - stick the cat in, switch on and hey presto - watch him go - well, in my cats case I know he'd probably just sit on it until he got smashed into the far wall and stay there still not moving but hey - it's an idea isn't it? Any takers anyone???
Romayne, Oct 06 2002

Kitty Treadmills http://irishrex.20m.com/plans.html
DIY. [phoenix, Oct 07 2002, last modified Oct 21 2004]

GlobalIdeasBank: Treadmills for Dogs http://www.globalid....org/BI/BI-191.HTML
Energy-generating, too. [jutta, Oct 07 2002]

Jog-A-Dog http://www.jogadog.com/
Existing dog treadmill product. [jutta, Oct 07 2002]

Crunchy Dispenser and Treadmill video http://www.youtube....watch?v=f5Fg6KFcOsU
Maybe a short shelf-life on this link, but there's an entertaining video of a cat using a combo treadmill crunchy dispenser on youtube [rossgk, Aug 28 2006]

Cat on a treadmill... http://www.devilducky.com/media/52441/
[Jinbish, Oct 18 2006]

Another Cat on a treadmill http://www.devilducky.com/media/52453/
[Jinbish, Oct 18 2006]

Shrimp on a treadmill http://www.livescie...rimp_treadmill.html
via BoingBoing [Dub, Oct 19 2006]

Dog upper-body workout http://www.jokeroo....os/awesome_dog.html
[Dub, Nov 18 2006]

YouTube Video of a couple of cats on a treadmill http://www.youtube....watch?v=DPHyvWGuf9g
[Dub, May 11 2008]

[link]






       do you know the mousestrap game? its a big convulated structure and I think I am right in saying a little ball runs all around until it releases something that falls onto the mouse. this is a very long-winded way of getting to my point which is; why do you not build some complicated maze that your cat has to work its way around before it gets its food. no walkies - no din-dins. doubt if missing their supper for one day now and then does them any harm at all.   

       don't give him any of your croissant BTW.
po, Oct 06 2002
  

       I have a cat-harness-leash thing, but whenever I put it on my cat, all they do is lay down.
BinaryCookies, Oct 06 2002
  

       I dunno. I don't think your cat is going to get the point of a treadmill at this late stage. I would suggest the usual standbys, most of which involve personal attention: string, laser pointer, chasing.   

       (I read this as "pot treadmill". Getting old, I guess.)
DrCurry, Oct 07 2002
  

       Giant hamster wheel?
Mr Burns, Oct 07 2002
  

       "Electric cat prod" - like an electric cattle prod only smaller.   

       NB, the prod is electric, not the cat. The cat is the basic garden-variety organic cat. An electric cat could of course be quickly and easily reprogramed (possibly via Bluetooth) so no prod would be necessary. Unless for mains recharging of course. Or you could have a multi mode battery mains electric cat with an optional solar panel.
8th of 7, Oct 07 2002
  

       I have ten cats, all (most, actually. Let me clarify in case one of them sees this) of which are incredibly lazy and do nothing but eat and sleep. As aware as I am about their lack of pysical virtuoso, I can also see unfortunate side effects of this kitty treadmill. Treadmills are dangerous to anything small, correct? I know this becasue I have spent many a holiday shooing my cousens off my grandmother's exercise equiptment. I can see it now... *Fluffy*, walking on her treadmill, hears a noise and wants to investigate, so she turns around, meaning to find the exit, but, realizing she's in a cardboard box, panics. In her struggle, her tail becomes entwined in the conveyor belt and *RRRIIIIIPPPP*, there's the whole "escalator" theory. I'm sure you've seen the documentaries about how children get caught and lose limbs? If you had a long haired cat or a short witted one, you would need to find some means of "hair guard". Croissant, by the way.
Pug, Oct 08 2002
  

       I have recently moved in with a morbidly obese cat, he currently weighs 9.5kg which is at least 1.5kgs less than previous.   

       We have found that a combination of diet, chasing him around and playing with him is quite effective in helping him to lose weight. Of course the fact that he has an extremely nervous disposition does work to our advantage!
madradish, Oct 08 2002
  

       I'd go for the 'Jeux Sans Frontieres' (UK, '70's TV programme) approach. Take a length of bungee and attach it to the wall at one end and the cat's collar at the other. Then place the bowl of food at the point where the cord is at it's furthest extension. Endless entertainment for the whole family! (well, except the cat of course.).
DrBob, Oct 08 2002
  

       [po]'s "mousetrap" maze idea combined with [DrBob]'s bungee system has brought forth such a welter of amusing images that I feel an idea along the lines of "Cat involuntary 'Indiana Jones' adventure playground" coming on ..........
8th of 7, Oct 08 2002
  

       Just wondering about the ex-diabetic part...
barnzenen, Oct 08 2002
  

       Someone please stick this where it belongs (ie not other: general)   

       You'd need to stick some sort of a scoop on the end for a safety ramp or the RSPCA would come crashing down on you like an overweight cat dropped from a great altitude.
Would it come with 'bait' - something like cat food in front of the conveyor belt as motivation (like the donkey's carrot)?
NickTheGreat, Oct 08 2002
  

       That's looking a bit like commercial thread spam, there, [allen27]. The web site you've pointed to is a bitmap design mockup complete with greeked text and everything (or nothing).
bristolz, Jan 26 2006
  

       sorry about that bristolz, let me get the right web address for you.
allen27, Jan 27 2006
  

       [link]Crustacean sorry Croissant
Dub, Oct 19 2006
  
      
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