It should be no surprise that cats are astute and have minds of their own. When they are not sleeping, they usually roam their homes in search of something interesting.

With this in mind, Ben Millam created the ultimate cat-and-mouse hunting game for his cat, Monkey. Millam became bored of feeding Monkey the usual way, so he got creative and made Monkey’s life a little more interesting.

Millam wrote in a self-titled blog, “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, moving about, being curious, and poking their noses around in the hopes of upsetting potential prey and finding a meal.” He continued, “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.”

What Millam did next, surpassed innovation—he made a cat feeding machine unlike any other. With the help of some light hacking to an automatic feeder, Millam made a contraption that turned feeding times from a mundane ritual into an exciting daylong chase for Monkey.

How does it work? Millam hides balls around his house in uncommon places.

Monkey then spends her day searching for the balls, and when she gets one, she drops it into a blue bowl that is attached to the feeder. The ball must land just right because its momentum triggers food to come out of the machine.

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