Cat Powered Auto Feeder

Step 6

Use the screws to mount it to something solid, and high enough to remove the lid. The edge of his play tower worked out well. If you need to I’m sure you could mount it to the wall with a block of wood.

Training was pretty easy. Show your cat that food will fall each time the ball is pushed or pulled down. With Apollo, it took one time. One problem I did find is he will pull the clip off the top dropping the ball, but only when he runs out of food.

Comments

[tangol]

wow..this look nice and easy also cheap.. i would like to try it.. hope my cat understand how to get the food.. ^_^

[creeperkeeper]

mine two

[ushuaia]

This looks easy. I'll try it sometime. And btw, you have a really cute cat ^__^

[biker_trash_1340]

Thank You, he's a lot of fun.

[Fanny Fink]

Looked brillant to me! Will try asap. thaks for your kind instructions... Greetings to Apollo :)

[biker_trash_1340]

Thank You, Mines still working good. Apollo is getting to the point were he can drop the food right in his mouth, with very little falling on the floor.

[royblumenthal]

 Very very cool instructable! Thanks!

One of the things I love most about it is that this style of feeding simulates the hunting process. 

The cat has to do something...

A piece of food falls down...

And the cat has to 'hunt' it.

How cool is that? Combining domesticity with the atavistic urge.

I'm going to be making one of these for our two cats. Spigot needs the exercise. And Magic is getting old, so the hunting instinct will sharpen him up. Awesome! Thanks!

Blue skies
Roy

[davialyn]

Thanks for the new word! I will try to use "atavistic" today! I totally agree with encouraging the hunting instinct in domestic cats. One of the reasons why about 90% of cats are overweight is due to overfeeding. Using this feeder will appeal to their atavistic (see!) needs, and they will hopefully only eat until they are satisfied. Plus, the food will stay fresher longer than if it were just sitting out in an open bowl all day.

[zanne101]

This is great - my 2 cats wake me up in the middle of the night. Maybe now I can get a full night's sleep.

I only have one question.  Doesn't the rubber band break afterawhile?  I wonder if there is anything that could be used as a substitute.

Your cat is beautiful.

[BluArcher]

I liked this feeder but we have 3 cats and they would go through 2 days of food in less than 1 day.  After a couple refills, they finally broke the rubber band by really yanking down on the ball.

I think I will try it again with a solid practice golf ball or something the cats can't grab with their claws.

[mightywombat]

When my cat started waking me up at night, I started feeding herbefore I went to bed.  That way, she would be able to sleep inwith me, but still get her snack on in the middle of the night.

[biker_trash_1340]

He did chew through one, that's why i put the wire leader on the band. Ihaven't had one break yet...but there $0.49 a bag.  You could try asmall bungee cord,  remove the bottom hook and tie a knot at the ball.

[zanne101]

 I wasn't worried about replacing the rubber band ($.49/bag) - Iwas just thinking about what would happen if it broke, food all over thefloor.  I also don't want my stupid cat (one of mine is a littledopey) to swallow a broken rubber band if it came apart.
Thanks :-}

[four321zero]

i dont get it. Apart from gravity how does the cut green bottle stay down? Wont it get dislodged when the golf balls keeps hitting it?

[biker_trash_1340]

OK ... Updated Step #3   2nd picture should help

[four321zero]

Ah alright. Thank for your help. About to make one myself.

[ubersquirel]

 This will be great to keep my cat entertained!

[mainerfreebird]

My cat, Marvin, is going to love this!( He is a tuxedo cat too),  he loves balls and he loves to eat, so he will figure this out in no-time. Thank you so much, this is wonderful, and I won't be accidently kicking the food bowl anymore, and Marvin wont go sliding into it when he runs into the kitchen to fetch his jingle ball! (Howza bout his water though...wait, he drinks out of the sinks and bathtub and toilet anyway.)

[BOOJAN]

you have really nice "user" of your feeder :D

btw great instructable

[Trixie1944]

Excellent with very clear instructions.

[amyers57]

Why didn't you just use the soda bottle by its self?

[biker_trash_1340]

Was thinking of trying that at first.... some of the problems are, how to fill. hang, and running the rubber band through the bottle, alsothe bottles are a little on the thin side.

[kyzla]

my cats will LOVE this... and it will prevent them from over eating.

now, i wonder if it will work for my husband?   :)

[Salignac]

Every life should have seven cats - a nice project!

[biker_trash_1340]

Thanks for all the nice Comments. Apollo is my buddy, a pet rescue cat.I feed him 2 times a day in the bowl. The feeder is used with a smallamount of food before i go to bed. This can get me about 7 hours ofsleep, before it's play / feeding time again.

[robotski]

This is great, I would want one if only I had cats. 
I guess this could be made with just a small plastic bottle and alid, rather than cutting up two plastic containers?

[TexelGirl]

THANK YOU!  I'm going to build this over the weekend. Maybe now I'll be able to sleep without a fat, hungry cat waking up ahundred times a night.  A few bits of food in it should keep himhappy until feeding time.

[ddinick]

Thank you so much for sharing this -- I can't wait to make one (orthree).  My three cats aren't likely to be as quick to figure itout as Apollo (what a smart, handsome cat) but once they do they'lllove it.

[amandalud10]

the last picture of your cat is an LOLZ cat waiting to happen. don't know what an LOLZ cat is. LOOK IT UP!
they're funny

[hishealer]

Great pic of the cat expression there!  A caption idea, "Wow, I had no idea humans could do something smart!"

[treinengek]

really nice man and you can use it for many purposes