When looking for weight loss options for my kitty, I found that there was such a thing as cat wheels - like a hamster wheel for your cat. Unfortunately, the only ones I could find were over $200, and well out of my budget. So instead, I decided to make my own, using these materials:
2 Hula Hoops (larger than 36" diameter) [total $10]
Duct tape [$1]
4 4" Rubber Rigid Caster Wheels (Amazon) [total $45.60]
4 2" Rigid Caster Wheels (Amazon) [$13.99]
1"x2'x2' Round Board, or any similar sized wooden platform (Home Depot) [$16.58]
1 large cardboard box
Carpet remnants
*Optional* Weatherstrip tape
And these tools:
Xacto Knife
Tacky glue
Scissors
Light Duty Staple gun
I already had the tools, carpet remnants, and a large box from buying a large item from Amazon, so in the end, it cost me:
$87.17
Keep reading for the step-by-step process of how to make your own:
1. Flatten a large cardboard box and cut it into strips 12" wide.
2. To get the cardboard to bend around the inside of the hula hoop, cut halfway through the cardboard 2" apart. MAKE SURE NOT TO CUT ALL THE WAY THROUGH.
3. Staple the cardboard edge to the inside of each hula hoop
4. Use duct tape around the edge of the cardboard to ensure there are no gaps.
5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 on other side for second hula hoop. Now it may look usable, but it's not as study once an adult cat walks on it, so we need to enclose the outer edge of the hula hoops as well.
6. Repeat steps 1 and 2 with some more cardboard cut in strips 18" wide. A couple inches need to overhang so they can wrap around to the inside.
7. Use scissors to cut flaps that can bend and fold around the hula hoops.
8. Use a combination of staples and duct tape to attach the flaps to the inside layer.
9. Attach caster wheels to the round board so that the 4" wheels are closest to the edge, and the 2" wheels are in the center. Measurements will differ depending on what size hula hoop you use, but see below for how they are arranged to allow for the weight distribution.
10. Cut strips of carpet remnants and attach to the inside with tacky glue, and allow to dry.
11. After testing mine, the cat wheel had a bit of drift, so that it didn't stay in place and tried to roll off. To alleviate this, I added some weatherstrip tape to create a kind of 'rail' around both edges.
And that's it! It may not be perfect, but it's over $100 cheaper than the official cat wheels. The biggest challenge then becomes convincing your kitty to actually want to use it:
Hopefully you have better luck than me!