Cat Exercise Wheels?

upsetmilk

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Hello Community,
some of you might have seen my other thread, of my cats is a nutcase when it comes to play and exercise and general entertainment. We have tried everything, the flat and balcony are fully catified but he still paces a lot. Health issues were ruled out already by the vet.

Since the older one is very hard to entertain, doesnt really play (we tried literally everything) but seems bored and paces, I am thinking of upgrading my balcony for the cats by adding a cat wheel.

Does anybody here have experience with those, if yes, please share! I have read general articles but I would like to have some reviews by cat owners, to find out if that may be something for my cats.
 

fionasmom

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I do not have any experience with a cat wheel. You are referring to OneFastCat or the like? Do cats immediately take to it or could it be something that they have to be trained to do and want to do? I am not trying to discourage you from investigating this and hopefully others with some knowledge of these will respond. Treadmills are sometimes used for dogs, but there has to be motivation, treats, etc to get them to comply.

Cat Wheel?
 
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upsetmilk

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I do not have any experience with a cat wheel. You are referring to OneFastCat or the like? Do cats immediately take to it or could it be something that they have to be trained to do and want to do? I am not trying to discourage you from investigating this and hopefully others with some knowledge of these will respond. Treadmills are sometimes used for dogs, but there has to be motivation, treats, etc to get them to comply.

Cat Wheel?

I had to google the brand tbh, but yes, basically. With cats I have read that some never take it, but according to a cat psychologist most cats will take it, with training or by themselves. Some slow, some fast like those crazy Bengals you sometimes see on the internet. I just feel, that different experiences by owners and their cats will give me more insight, than just by an expert.
 

flybear

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our humane society had not just one but several cat wheels donated to them by people who's cats never used them ... and according to the people at the shelter not one in ... hundreds/ thousands of cats over several years has ever wanted to use it ... not with treats , not when a cat trainer tried- not with many, many volunteers trying to bribe the cats ... apparently it takes some serious determination to get any cat to get on a cat wheel and actually start using it for fun ...
 

Sylvia Jones

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Wow thanks for the information I would have thought the opposite
 

vince

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I appreciate this thread. Always wanted to know how cats took to these things. They're pretty expensive to try without any idea of the cats will use them.

I've seen videos where they use a laser pointer to help get the cat interested at first. However, my cats are real lazy; I don't think they'd ever use the wheel, no matter what I did to interest them.
 

Malere#9105

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I did have one of these exercise wheels, briefly. We trained the cat in the photo to walk on it sometimes, but it was really big and we had no room for it in the house we moved to. I had two cats at that time - the other one had zero interest. I ended up donating it to a shelter (as mentioned above) and not sure if they ever had any success with it.
20170804_191825.jpg
 

silent meowlook

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We have one at work. Some cats love it. Some will just jump on and run for a long time. Others ignore it.

You have to be careful to not turn them off of it by trying to hard. A feather toy works great.
 

Meowmee

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I have thought of one but I was not sure if they would use it- it is heavy and large, expensive and one had bad reviews of tipping over and of being not easy to return. None on Amazon prime. I saw a well made one on ebay, but still more expensive, even heavier & a lot to ship it plus she thought I would really need the larger, heavier, costlier size for Quinn who is very high energy who I wanted it for. And I read that it may not be a good motion for their spines, I am not sure about that.

Now that Quinn has Merlin to chase around with he doesn't really need it. But I am still thinking of more high up cat shelves. He loves climbing on a huge book shelve set up we have. I am curious if he would use it though. Merlin could use it for weight loss maybe. I have looked at cat/ dog treadmills as well.
 

Caspers Human

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Casper? Use a cat wheel? Don't make me laugh! ;) ;) ;)

We thought about getting him a cat wheel for a moment but we figured that he wouldn't use it much, if at all.
We didn't want to make an expense on something he wouldn't use. Then there is space and upkeep issues. You have to find a place to put it and you have to keep it clean and working safely. These things just weren't worth it, to us.

You know your cat. You say he's active to the point of being a pain in the a$$. He certainly has the energy. Do you think your cat would play with it?

If you think your cat would like it, go ahead. They look like fun. :)

If we thought Casper would use it, we would get him one. ;)
 

Draco

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A friend gave me one to try. At start they have no clue what to do with it. You'll have to teach them with treats or a toy and show them that the wheel moves, and do it slowly. One cat got terrified when the wheel moved beneath her, she refused to go near it again. the other I bet with more patience and practice he would've figured it out, but I got tired of looking at this giant thing in my small living room, so I donated it.

Edit: based on what I've seen on reviews and videos, majority of those cats were Bengals or cats with extremely high energy. They seem to take to the wheel more than average house cats
 
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upsetmilk

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Thanks you for all the replies!
I did find a really budget friendly one made of wood and carpeting, its the perfect size too. Its on german Amazon only it seems and has gret reviews bc it is also attachable to the floor or wall.
Usually all the models are humongous and start at 299€ wich is a little pricey for an experiment like that.

Still thinking about risking it for 90€, but more answers and ideas are appreciated!
 
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upsetmilk

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Casper? Use a cat wheel? Don't make me laugh! ;) ;) ;)

We thought about getting him a cat wheel for a moment but we figured that he wouldn't use it much, if at all.
We didn't want to make an expense on something he wouldn't use. Then there is space and upkeep issues. You have to find a place to put it and you have to keep it clean and working safely. These things just weren't worth it, to us.

You know your cat. You say he's active to the point of being a pain in the a$$. He certainly has the energy. Do you think your cat would play with it?

If you think your cat would like it, go ahead. They look like fun. :)

If we thought Casper would use it, we would get him one. ;)
As Draco Draco mentioned above, most wheels are used by Bengals and active breeds. I have two Birmans, a kitten and the big boy is a neutered 5 y.o. - I think he is very active but doesnt quite know what he wants. He sleeps a lot, doesnt play AT ALL and keeps pacing, which I though was nervousness at first but now I feel he needs more excercise.
He doesnt like to clib really, even though the whole 70 sqm of my flat plus huge balcony have perches and stuff. Thats why I think about trying the wheel.
 

Sylvia Jones

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Thanks you for all the replies!
I did find a really budget friendly one made of wood and carpeting, its the perfect size too. Its on german Amazon only it seems and has gret reviews bc it is also attachable to the floor or wall.
Usually all the models are humongous and start at 299€ wich is a little pricey for an experiment like that.

Still thinking about risking it for 90€, but more answers and ideas are appreciated!
I would love to see a picture of the one your looking at since it’s smaller and less expensive Could you post the ad?
 

Suljas

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I bought a onefast cat model.
It's basically plastic and the the pads are like sticker foam which will need replacing sooner than expected. There were smaller wheels on amazon etc but your cay body length will be the deciding factor when getting the wheel. The smaller ones were literally wooden and more stable but not fit for bengal
 

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upsetmilk

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I would love to see a picture of the one your looking at since it’s smaller and less expensive Could you post the ad?
Hey, yes of course, sorry for the late reply. This is a German website, but its also available on amazon (not sure if everywhere).

https://www.aosom.de/item/pawhut-kr...CCw3QKQS-EmSN65A66T2IYBWXohhaoeBoC9f4QAvD_BwE

This one is very similar, but sold out:
RLQ Pet Cat Exercise Wheel Exercise Wheel Solid Wood Durable and Durable : Amazon.de: Pet Supplies
 
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upsetmilk

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I bought a onefast cat model.
It's basically plastic and the the pads are like sticker foam which will need replacing sooner than expected. There were smaller wheels on amazon etc but your cay body length will be the deciding factor when getting the wheel. The smaller ones were literally wooden and more stable but not fit for bengal
Yeah, the size is what I was worried about, but my Birman boy is actually a quite small specimen, if you ignore all the fur ;) If I actually order the wheel, my kitten will def use it, and if not I will donate it to a shelter.
 
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