I have lived with cats for most of my life and have observed that it can be challenging to keep them entertained indoors. I have never been able to find a toy that works well for them.
Cats are natural hunters and enjoy chasing moving objects. Most toys are stationary, which is why they don't capture a cat's interest for long. So you must play with your cat.
I decided to create a toy for Mrs. Kitty that she could play with on her own. I needed a mechanism that could move by itself.
So I used a spare servo motor to provide momentum. I also added a shoelace, as cats are known to love playing with them. And that's how I came up with the very first essential mechanism for the toy.
First idea
This of course cannot work in real life. The servo motor would likely not withstand the force of a cat hanging on the lace that is attached to the small plastic servo arm. This could cause the servo to break or become damaged quickly.
Lace must be attached to something solid.
Better, but still not sufficient
Figuring out where and how to attach the mechanism was particularly challenging for me, as I had no expertise in mechanical engineering, materials science, or physics.
version 1
I wanted an easy setup, something like a plug and play. So, all you need to do is mount it onto a table and power up an Arduino.
Great news, Mrs. Kitty is showing interest and playing with the toy. However, I did notice that she is occasionally frightened by the noise of the servo motor. To address this issue, I may consider incorporating a noise cancelling box into the design in the future.
Oops, 3d printed wall wasn't strong enough
I have disconnected the servo and lace to protect the servo from breaking. I have also made the body a little more robust by strengthening the corners
I will see how long this new design can last, before this feral killer brings it life to the end.
Version 2
