Rattle / Maraca a.k.a the Cat Caller

This rattle is not suitable for babies unless printed with suitable filament!

We have two cats who like to go explore outside but are still living with us in the house. We used to use a plastic container filled with cat treats to call them back inside, until I remembered that I’m a specialist on designing useless objects for 3D printing.

That’s when the Cat Caller was born.

By using 4mm x 7mm round magnets, it can be easily opened and closed. In my case, it is filled with cat treats and can then be opened when the cats come home to give them a reward. 

The rattle can be used for other stuff as well and not only for cats. You can fill it with peanuts to call people in a pub, or with candy to get your kids back inside. It can even be used for calling bankers with coins, pieces of filament for 3D printers, or resistors for electronics nerds. The possibilities are limitless!

The holes can also be used to align the two pieces before permanently gluing them together. In this case I would advice to use pellets made out of metal or plastic, or any other material which does not go bad. 

If the contents of the rattle are smaller than 5mm, you need to use the closed version of the “funnel” which is placed on both sides of the print. For larger contents you can use the funnel with a hole for louder sound.

To attach the funnel part to the rattle, just push it in and preferably glue it in place. 

How to print?

Print two copies of the ”Rattle_Body.stl”, and either of the funnel files (“Rattle_FunnelClosed.stl” or “Rattle_FunnelWithHole5mm.stl”)

How to assemble?

• Glue the funnels to the body
• Either add 4mm x 7mm round magnets to the holes, or insert a pin to align the two halves of the body. 
  • If using magnets, glue them in place. 
  • If using pins, glue the body halves together. Don’t forget to add the contents before gluing!

Enjoy!