This Guy Knew His Cat Was A Natural Hunter, So He Invented This Clever Device To Feed Him
Ben Millam, who refers to himself as an "aspiring geek" recently built a machine for his cat that takes feeding to a whole new level. Actually, it's far more akin to "hunting" than anything else.
Using 'clicker' training - a behavior conditioning approach used to create associations with certain desirable actions by linking them with rewards - Millam trained his cat Monkey to essentially hunt for his food. And it's hard to decide which is more impressive, his invention or Monkey's intelligence.
Each ball is tagged with an RFID (Radio Frequency ID), which are recognized by the machine, so Monkey knows they're the only things that will lead to food.
The benefits of Millam's brilliant invention for Monkey are many. Not only does he get much-needed exercise as a house cat, but his feeding is also well-regulated because he's eating when he wants to, not just because food is there (yes, animals eat out of boredom too).
On top of that, it builds into his natural instinct to hunt, which is a lot better than him tearing the couch apart.
“This all started after I read an explanation of why cats go about repeatedly exploring the same areas: it’s partly to establish and survey their territory, but they’re also practicing ‘mobile’ hunting,†Millam said. “So what if my cat, while out on patrol, actually found its prey? Surely this would bring him one step closer towards a more fulfilled and self-actualized indoor kitty existence."