Exercise and entertainment apparatus for pet animals

An apparatus for exercising an animal, comprising:

• an impeller rotatable about a substantially vertical axis;
• a hopper having a basin portion for receiving and holding a plurality of projectiles to be dispensed by gravity to said impeller;
• and
• powered means for rotating said impeller;
• wherein said projectiles fall one at a time from said basin portion into said impeller, and when said impeller is rotating said projectiles are ejected one at a time from said impeller and from said apparatus.

An apparatus for exercising and entertaining a pet animal by ejecting balls in random directions for the animal to chase or retrieve, said apparatus comprising:

• an impeller rotatable about a substantially vertical axis, said impeller defining a central ball aperture in communication with a generally horizontally disposed ejection channel;
• a hopper having a basin portion for receiving and holding a plurality of balls to be dispensed serially through a feed conduit to said ball aperture in said impeller;
• a release mechanism for regulating the movement of said balls through said feed conduit to said impeller;
• and
• a motor to rotate said impeller about the vertical axis;
• wherein said balls move by gravity from said hopper through said feed conduit to said impeller, and further wherein balls are randomly ejected by centrifugal force from said ejection channel by the rotation of said impeller.