Abstract: A toy for cats induces enthusiastic play by cats, either with human participation or without. A flexible rod can be mounted in a base member by a coil spring, providing a pendulum-like swinging movement of the rod. A toy member hangs from the end of a line or string, which in turn is suspended from the upper end of the flexible rod. When the toy member is batted by a cat, it moves through a complex pattern of movement due to the pendulum motion of the rod and a separate pendulum-like motion of the line and toy member. The flexible rod may be removed from the base and spring, for manual play with the cat.

Abstract: A knife sharpener includes a pair of grinding belts, each supported on at least two rollers. In an area where a knife is sharpened, support rollers of the two belts are spaced apart by a few inches, each including a resilient rubber sleeve over the roller and immediately under the belt to provide a resilient belt cushioning support where the belt is engaged by the knife. A guide roller is positioned between the two support rollers and belts, closely spaced to each of the belts but out of contact therefrom, with the support roller also including a resilient rubber sleeve. A knife to be sharpened is positioned between the guide roller and one of the grinding belts, perpendicular to the axes of the guide roller and the support roller, and twisted in order to force the cutting edge of the knife against the grinding belt while bracing the non-cutting edge of the knife against the rotatable guide roller, for stability and accuracy in grinding the knife edge.

Abstract: A fine smooth finish can be obtained on blades without grinding by drawing them against a rotating hardened disk with a smooth peripheral edge. One or a pair of hardened disks having smooth, rounded peripheral edges being disposed adjacent to and partially received by knife-guiding structure, having rotation imparting drive. The use of smooth edged hardened disks enables a very fine finished edge to be obtained, similar to the edge resulting from the use of a hand held steel, and often better.