Cat Food Hunting Toy

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As we all know, cats are natural hunters. I have 2 beautiful cats, however one is a little bit more on the wild side. Attached are some photos for reference:

 

I decided to make a hunting toy that is able to hold treats. The shape of the toy is round to resemble a rat's body. The reason I decided to only make/print the body is because I wanted the rest of the rat to be soft - resembling the fattiness of a real prey. The shape of the toy also encourages “bunny kicking” - super satisfying right?

My wild kitty was immediately smitten (as seen in the photos) and it felt like a real bonding experience (especially since I was running around the house hiding it from him).

 

My materials:

Yours can be less/more complicated than mine! Let your imagination run wild!

If you couldn't tell already, this is my first time sewing LOL! I'm sure others who are more skilled would be able to do a much better job than me, however I tried my best. My materials were:

• Velcro straps
• Felt fabric - from hobby store
• Needle and Thread
• Cotton stuffing

The Velcro straps were used to control the amount of treats that come out. The toy can also be taken out easily from the rat's body for rinsing. I used stuffing for the rat's head so that its a satisfying chew for the cats, and added a tail for them to chase around.

 

Print settings:

• Material: transparent PETG
• Layer height: 0.2mm
• Infill: 10%
• Support: auto tree supports
• Build plate adhesion: brim
• Temp: Nozzle 240; Bed 100
• Fan speed: 50%
• Speed: 50mm/s
• Time required: 3.5H
• Filament used: 43g

*Ironing/sanding is recommended to limit layer lines - this is to avoid bacteria harbouring in those tiny gaps*

 

Future improvements:

• An adjustable lid to control the amount of treats (check out PixMinh's remix for this: https://www.printables.com/model/374823-catnip-insert-for-cat-food-hunting-toy)
• Different shapes and sizes to resemble different prey