Orbit Exercise Wheel

Indoor cats run at four in the morning because nothing tired them out at four in the afternoon. Orbit stands four feet tall and gives that sprint somewhere to go.

The running surface is a removable carpeted ring, scratch resistant, wiped clean with a cloth. Slats sit 0.2 inches apart, close enough that a paw lands on wood rather than through it. A silent bearing at the hub and damping at the base keep a 3 a.m. sprint from carrying through the floor.

A lock holds the wheel still, so it works as a perch and a scratching surface on the days they ignore it. The base and runway are both widened, which is what stops a wheel this tall from walking across the room. Multi-layer birch and poplar plywood, 12 millimeters thick, in an oak finish, with screws and wheels pre-installed.