PetSafe SlimCat Food-Dispensing Cat Toy Blue, Treat Toy, Interactive Food Dispenser, Activity Snack Ball for Cats of All Ages

This is a great little product and easy to use for the human. The bottom of the ball just twists off, you place the dried munchies inside the ball, twist the cap back on, decided how big the holes in the ball need to be to allow the muchie through and then lock it in place. Couldn't be simpler. My two cats were bouncing up and down to be fed so I rolled the ball towards them (little munchies falling away from the ball as I did) and cats did a bunk out of the cat door! They came back in, sniffed the ball, decided it was no threat then settled down for a kip. Lesson to human, they are as conditioned as I am in that when they hear my car pull up, it's feeding time, hungry or not. I decided to leave them to it and not put food down, after all, a 7kg cat who can work out that the pack of dried food is kept in the top cupboard and manages to open the door, knock the huge bag to the floor and tear through it for a midnight feast for him and his brother can definitely work out how to knock a ball around, right? Wrong!I have decided that my 6 year old moggies have become too used to silver service and that's why they are so overweight and idle. The product is good, it rolls with the lightest of touch even when filled with food and it seems sturdy enough. I can't blame the Slimcat ball - one of us is burning calories chasing it round the carpet and two of us are looking on bemused. Meanwhile, it's a waiting game to see who caves in first . . . .Follow up to my review: Last night I made the moggies go hungry because they turned their noses up at their usual good quality dinner and hey presto! In the morning the ball - which had been hanging around since last week - was empty! So I haven't got moronic moggies, just lazy ones, the ball works.

The media could not be loaded. I bought 2 of these feeding balls for my cats to try and to help with their weight loss programme, and to keep them entertained (indoor cats).The ball comes apart easily through a screw lid on the top which makes it relatively easy to fill (quite narrow). It seems to fit most sizes of biscuits since they have included 2 sizes of hole that the biscuits could drop out of. I use the larger ones for the larger kibble my cats prefer. The cats roll it in front of them like performing seals balancing a ball. Every now and then a biscuit (or more) drops out and they eat that before heading off again.It took the 3 cats about 10 minutes of investigation before they all worked out how to use the feeder, in fact they are now so adept at it that I have to remove the balls and only use it as a treat instead of another meal (or they polish off the contents very quickly).It does depend on which way they roll the ball as to how often food is dispensed, since the orientation of the holes means they can get a very generous meal or not much at all. Occasionally I get more than one cat motoring off round the room taking it in turns to roll the ball, and trying to pinch the food that drops out before the other one notices. The ball often gets stuck or wedged against skrting boards or furniture which tends to stop the game, but once I move it for them, it's game on...Very easy to wash and will probably last a reasonable time as long as I don't tread on it (which has almost happened a few times)!It has made their meal times more enjoyable for me at least, and I suspect they enjoy it too. I'm not convinced it is brilliant for weight loss since they find it so easy, but it is more fun and slows them down a bit.

My cat loves this and it keeps him busy as well as slowing down his eating. Simple but effective.

I have two cats, fed the same amount out of microchip feeders so they can only eat their own. One is lithe and muscly and the other, well, to say he has middle aged spread is a slight understatement.He is under active and just loves his food so thought I'd use one to encourage the other. There's only one thing worse than a fat cat and that's a smug one. He looked up at me licking his lips, standing next an empty ball sans lid i.e. he'd managed to remove it so all thekibble fell exposed to his sizeable appetite.I taped up the top and put the food in the holes but even with adjustment, Applaws cat food comes out with a lazy tap of the paw. Hardly the calorie expending exercise I'd hoped for. I've gone back to good quality wet food and plan A - encouraging more exercise.This is a great idea and will definitely work with cats who like to run around and chase things. If you have the cousin of Bagpuss who is far too clever to keep the lid on things it will have to be a different tactic.

Fantastic idea for a young cat who needs stimulated. Her new favourite thing

My cat likes this always playing with it hoping there is something in it keeps him busy

Our cat is a rescue and she was starved before we adopted her. This has caused some issues with her eating too fast and constantly begging for food, so I thought I would give this ball a go.I know that some just use it for extra treats, but we use it for her full amount of dry food. It has slowed down the speed at which she eats and she is having fun with it as well.I had to show her how to roll it the first two times of using the feeder ball, but now she will sit and wait for me to put it down for her. Before I got the ball for her, she would empty the bowl within half an hour. Now she eats around half and then goes for a nap. She eats the rest after sleeping so it takes her around 8 hours to finish it.The ball is very easy to fill and it is easy to adjust the size of the holes as well. I went for a bigger opening at first, so she could get the hang of rolling it. After a couple of days I adjusted it again, so the biscuits only fall out when the ball rolls at a certain angle.The only downside is when it comes to cleaning the ball. It is easy to wash it, but it does take a long time to dry, so I am considering getting a second one.