Nordic Trak for Cats?

[kanerf]

Now I have heard everything. Just saw a commercial for a Nordic Trak thing for your fat cat. It is a big wheel like a hamster wheel. Do you honestly think you can get your cat to run in the thing?

 

[Grand Koalafornian]

That wheel is not a new concept. I had one for a while but none of our cats would use it. The shelter we donated it to sent us videos of 4 different cats using it. I have two friends with them whose cats love them, as well. One used to have a problem of the cat would jump on her human treadmill while she was using it. I was so jealous that it worked for her because mine jumped off the moment it started moving.

 

[Imzadi]

I've seen many YouTube shorts of cats running on cat wheels. I have a kitten who gets the "zoomies" all the time, where she loves to zoom and run and jump from one end of the apartment to the other, at high speed, on a natural obstacle course she created. She will do this about 4-5 times in succession. I just have to stay out of the way, so I don't accidentally get scratched as she runs past me. I would LOVE to get her a cat wheel to expend all that extra energy she has. But, they take up about 4 ft of room I don't have. It's basically an extra large hamster wheel for a cat.

I think if I had the room and could teach her, she'd love it. I don't have the time and energy to play with her as much as she wants and needs for her age. The trick is to let them know the wheel moves. Then train them by placing a toy they naturally want to chase and grab in front of them when the cat is standing on the wheel, When the wheel starts moving, they won't get freaked out. Like this:

Then the cat eventually goes like this:

I was given a treadmill recently, so I'm hoping to teach her to run on it.

I just hope my kitten doesn't turn out to be the third cat in this video, who just doesn't get it.

 

[Kathryn Merteuil]

They are more likely just to sit in the box it came in.

 

[Simba's Mom]

They are more likely just to sit in the box it came in.

Exactly!

 

[NotUrsula]

My ginger cat would love it if we had the space;. Instead she just runs rings around the 1st floor of the house, bouncing off walls and knocking things off her own little parkour course.

The tortie would look at it and roll her eyes, being entirely too old and regal for such nonsense.

 

[Imzadi]

My ginger cat would love it if we had the space;. Instead she just runs rings around the 1st floor of the house, bouncing off walls and knocking things off her own little parkour course.

My kitten that I talked about above is a ginger too. As mentioned, she created her own obstacle course that she runs. Luckily, no knocking over things.

 

[Planogirl]

I've seen cats use these things. Its cute when they move it with just their front legs while sitting on the floor.