Being a Bengal cat lover, I know, just as you too probably know, the health and happiness of our Bengal cats is very important. Sometimes, however, as pet parents we can get really involved in our busy lives that we might forget that our Bengal cats need the kind of exercise that is going to keep them in shape and in a good mood, much like us.
There are many things one can do to offer them such as an exercise wheel, interactive toys and so on.
I realized that I couldn’t let my Bengal just go outside any time, especially when I wasn’t home and that eventually turned into a problem for my feline friend.
Like most of you reading this, I have a full-time job and am not always able to be home with my Bengal cat and take her outside. Because of this, I'd usually get home after a long day of work to a Bengal full of energy that was frantically begging me to play with her.
In addition, there was also weight gain because she hasn't been able to exercise appropriately. This weight gain started to make me feel guilty because, after all, it was my responsibility to keep my Bengal healthy and happy.
In an effort to do so, I purchased the FerrisCatWheel from ZiggyDoo. It was a little pricey, but much less than other more expensive wheels that can run you over $1000+ USD.
Like people, Bengals and all pets need to be kept at a healthy weight or there could be a variety of health issues that could pop up. These health issues can be severe enough to even shorten their lives and you know we don’t want to see that happen to our Bengals.
Here are just a few problems that might pop up if your Bengal is overweight:
Once I noticed my dear Bengal was really putting on the pounds and sometimes misbehaving in attempts to get more attention from me, I realized that something needed to be done... and soon. Since I really didn’t have the time to take my cat for a walk every day and the toys I had set up didn’t seem to be the answer, I realized I needed to try and find a different solution. Change of Diet
The first and immediate thing that I decided to do was to change my Bengal’s diet in hope that this would solve the problem of the extra pounds. There are a lot of different foods out there and I had to do a lot of research on the best cat food for my overweight Bengal.
Even though a change of diet was a good idea and did help some, it became apparent that more than a change of diet was going to be needed to help my Bengal shed those unhealthy pounds and burn all the excess energy that she had. That’s when someone mentioned to me about considering getting a cat exercise wheel.
This was not something that I had even thought of before nor did I realize that there was such a thing for cats.
Age, health and weight are factors to consider when thinking of getting your cat an exercise wheel. Not all cats, including Bengals may be suited for a cat exercise wheel. For example, a cat exercise wheel may also not be well suited for some elderly cats or ones that may have joint problems. If you have any doubts, always ask the vet first.
Almost all cats have the potential to enjoy using a cat exercise wheel. Since Bengals are so active and intelligent, they are more easily trained to use the wheel. If you’re lucky like I was, you may not have to train your Bengal at all. Some will need a modest bit of play to get going. And some may need more teaching from you over several days to help them feel comfortable and confident on the wheel. (ZiggyDoo provides great after service for any help or tips you may need for your cat).
Once I realized that my Bengal was in need for more exercise I started looking into the idea of finding a cat exercise wheel. After doing research I discovered there were a few things that were important that you need to look for and want to share that information with you here:
When I was searching for cat exercise wheels, there are a handful of options but I noticed that many of them were extremely expensive.
I found four of them that cost over $1000 and to be honest, that just wasn't in my budget.
So, I continued to shop.
When looking for wheels under $500 USD, there were two options that came up on my radar.
1) The OneFastCat exercise wheel
2) The FerrisCatWheel from ZiggyDoo
In terms of the cost, the OneFastCat wheel costs about $200 while the FerrisCatWheel from ZiggyDoo costs just under $400.
Any cat wheel is an investment, and wheels will be more pricey than typical cat toys, but I decided I was committed to giving my Bengal cat the exercise she needed, and the wheel was the best solution. So, I figured it would be worth comparing the two.
To compare the two wheels, I joined the BengalCatClub Facebook group to see what people had to say.
I figured I'd just let the consensus speak to understand if the FerrisCatWheel from ZiggyDoo was worth the extra money in comparison to OneFastCat.
Here's what people said, direct screenshots from the Facebook group. I removed the names of the people so that they can have their anonymity.
At first, OneFastCat seemed like a good idea. From what I saw, there were a few people who bought it and I figured to save an extra $200, sure.
But then I saw numerous comments like these about safety and quailty...
I then went and searched and was able to find this video. It's terrible quality, but basically this is the owner of the OFC (OneFastCat) wheel explaining how the wheel keeps falling over and has even jumped the track a few times.
I love my Bengal and an extra $200 for her safety of her is well worth it to me. That being said, moving forward here I am only going to talk about the FerrisCatWheel from ZiggyDoo as that is what I choose to get.
Here's what people were saying about the Ferris Cat Wheel in the Facebook group.
And here's a quick video showing you the wheel in action. I think this is a good video because it's short, but it shows you one cat going fast on the wheel, and the other cat walking on the wheel. As you'll see, it can handle both situations:
And if you have multiple cats, here's a video of three cats using the wheel at the same time:
When considering the FerrisCatWheel from ZiggyDoo, you want to know that your Bengal is going to benefit from it. Here are a few of the benefits that your Bengal will reap by using a cat exercise wheel:
Features
Although the cat exercise wheel is a simple design it does have a few features you and your Bengal may like:
Benefits
If you're not sure that a cat exercise wheel is the right product for your Bengal cat, there are other things that you can offer them to encourage more exercise, here are just a few things:
It's important to remember that the health of your Bengal is very important if you want them to live a long and happy life. Understand that if you allow your Bengal to become overweight and you don't do anything to reverse it your Bengal could end up with diabetes, joint problems, arthritis, live problems, and more.
A cat exercise wheel could be something that could help you avoid or even solve these problems.
If you want to learn more about this cat exercise wheel and you want to see more info feel free to Click Here. Shipping is usually free – depending on where you live.