Acclimating Your Cat to the Exercise Wheel

Step 1: Lower the wheel to their level

The wheel is about 50" tall on the base, which is huge for cats! This is great when it comes to giving them plenty of room to run, but less ideal for cats that are easily intimidated. To make things easier, take the wheel off the base for the first few days and lay it on its side on the floor.

Step 2: Encourage your cat to investigate

With the wheel on the floor, gently entice your cat into approaching it using treats or toys. This may take some time, especially if your cat is more skittish. Try a couple times throughout each day to get your cat to come up and sniff the wheel. Reward them with praise, pets, and plenty of positive attention when they do so.

Never force your cat onto or near the wheel against their will—this can create a negative association that prevents them from ever warming up to it.

Step 3: Wait until they're comfortable

Keep the wheel down on the floor until your cat can approach it with confidence, without being tense or ready to bolt at a moment's notice. A great indicator that they are comfortable around the wheel is if they will play near it or cuddle down in the center of it, even without your encouragement.

Step 4: Set the wheel up

Once your cat is comfortable around the wheel, put it back on the base. If your cat still seems a little wary of it once it's up, repeat step 2 with the wheel upright until they appear at ease with it. Try sitting near the wheel and having your cat lounge in your lap or lay by your feet, just to get them used to being near it.

Step 5: Go slow & be patient

Start training, but take plenty of time between each stage to make sure your cat is comfortable. Focus first on just getting them to step onto the wheel—don't rush to get them running right away. You want them to be comfortable and confident when they step on the wheel, and you can then slowly build up to have them walk, and then run, on it.

Pro Tip: Get hands on

If your cat jumps off the wheel at the first hint of motion, hold the wheel steady with your hand while you work on getting them used to stepping on and off the wheel. Don't let it move at all at first. Only when they seem ready do you want to ease them into moving, and even then, maintain a grip on the wheel to control its speed.

Once they hop on the wheel and walk with confidence, you can "remove the training wheels", so to speak, and let them have full control over how fast it goes.

Do not try to hold or stop the wheel with your bare hands when it is rolling at speed.