silly, but real, plan requests for pump...operated by cats

[ConductorX]

My wife loves her two cats. She has been on thier staff for over 10 years. They have never been free to roam the neighborhood. She had an elaborate cat enclosure built for them at her home in Long Beach. When she decided to marry me and move to Louisiana I had to come up with an enclosure to keep them contained but still provide an outdoor experience. They have a yard now 30' x 60' with a containment system I devised from looking at other similar systems. They have not discovered a way out yet.

Wire enclosure we call the Kitty Kat Koncentration Kamp:

"G"

 

[Hopefuldave]

Hmm...
In the interest of maximising shop time, power a pump with a cat treadmill? Something like a mini running machine, belt roller geared to a nice stainless steel double piston pump, with the outlet just above head height so they have to walk up the belt to reach it, a nice flying-ball governor to control the belt speed, with a powerplant cooling fan aimed at the cat...

Daft enough?

Dave H. (the other one)

 

[drysdam]

Hey, I came up with that concept the other day too! I didn't know anyone had actually done it.

 

[rodw]

Hmm...
In the interest of maximising shop time, power a pump with a cat treadmill? Something like a mini running machine, belt roller geared to a nice stainless steel double piston pump, with the outlet just above head height so they have to walk up the belt to reach it, a nice flying-ball governor to control the belt speed, with a powerplant cooling fan aimed at the cat...

Daft enough?

Dave H. (the other one)

I think Dave is on the right track.You need to carefully construct a precision low friction ferris wheel for mice. Use the ferris wheel to drive a pump. Teach the cat to chase mice and it will get a drink at the same time.

It is amazing how fussy cats can be. A neighbour of ours once had a Siamese cat who would only eat rabbit. Rabbits were not plentiful in the area so they were forever scouring their 60,000 acre property with rifle in hand to feed their cat....

 

[Swifty]

We have similar fences around wildlife reserves to keep out feral cats. They use more of a curved top instead of straight bends. And for some reason they have 3 strands of electrified wire as well, maybe that's to keep out the 2 leged ferals.

Paul.

 

[ConductorX]

We have similar fences around wildlife reserves to keep out feral cats. They use more of a curved top instead of straight bends. And for some reason they have 3 strands of electrified wire as well, maybe that's to keep out the 2 leged ferals.

Paul.

Sorry to get off topic. My fence was designed to keep the cats in. I am afraid that if a feral cat got in it would not be able to exit. Plus my dog occupies half of that yard as well.

"G"

 

[Mattkguns]

Here's an idea for the flywheel operated pump. Use a rack and pinion with a one way bearing. Simple, easy to tune with different levers and pinion sizes, and potentially silent.

-Matt

 

[walnotr]

What comes to my mind is a a device like a toilet flush system. Once a treadle is pressed, the tank would empty into the bowl and refill until the float turned off the valve. Not quite a cat powered pump but does use hydraulics to operate. Dogs seem to like water bowls operated in a simular manner.

 

[drysdam]

Here's an idea for the flywheel operated pump. Use a rack and pinion with a one way bearing.

I had an idea like this after I rejected the flywheel. Kind of like one of those kids' tops where you press the handle down to spin it up. It doesn't care how spastically you press or how far, it will speed the top up.

I actually did succeed in making a "pump" the other night. Two check valves (of my own design, but so simple they presumably already exist) a piston and a cylinder. I just need to get the rest of the mechanics designed.

 

[kilocharlie]

My design instincts go along with N4 - use some kind of valve instead of a pump, as it lends itself toward low force, is easily seated by a spring, and could have a lever to the basin that is sensitive to the weight of the spent water, limiting the total water charge allowed to pass through the valve (so the thing does not get left on). A back-and-forth (think teeter-totter) system would work until water got too low to operate.

Use a large, easy-to-clean reservoir, so you don't have to fill it too often.

Excellent design challenge, btw!

 

[mwilkes]

I'd have a small spring-loaded platform, probably with a velvet cushion on it, above a rubber water reservoir of some sort and a couple of check valves. When Cat sits on the platform, water'd be forced through valve 1 up a tube where it'd trickle out into a collecting bowl. Cat may or may not like the taste of rubber. When Cat gets off the platform, the springs would reinflate the reservoir so the water in the collecting bowl would get sucked back in via valve 2.

As an aside, my cat only drinks running water from a bath tap, and usually only if my wife is brushing her hair at the same time. Strange, often hilarious, creatures are cats.

 

[tk]

Perhaps, instead of a pump could you make a valve that is activated by the weight of a cat standing next to the bowl to drink. Then you could have a gravity fed source or the pressurized container Noitoen suggested. In a practical sense I tend to go with Paulsv, but this would be a whimsical device that will provide skills for other projects. Please post it if you decide to build it!