Laser-Pointer as a toy?

x-ta-z

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I was told that a great way to keep your cat busy is to let her chase after the red dot of a laser pointer.

Now I know laser beams are not harmless, but these small laser pointers are low strength. So I assume they aren't too bad, right? Of course you need to make sure that you don't point it in their face....

Anyhow, I tried it yesterday and I have never seen Singa so active.


But what is your opinion? Is it safe?
 

babyharley

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I've heard they are great! Wonderful ways to give your cat a little workout. I need to get one for my boys, I've been meaning to, but keep forgetting!
 

missymotus

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I'm always careful not to get them in the eyes. My kitties all love chasing the laser around, except Baker. He'd rather hide in doorways and pounce on the others as they come running down the hall
 

persi & alley

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Originally Posted by x-ta-Z

I was told that a great way to keep your cat busy is to let her chase after the red dot of a laser pointer.

Now I know laser beams are not harmless, but these small laser pointers are low strength. So I assume they aren't too bad, right?
Of course you need to make sure that you don't point it in their face....
Anyhow, I tried it yesterday and I have never seen Singa so active.


But what is your opinion? Is it safe?
"If the laser if shined in an eye it can cause permanent damage or blindness."
Direct quote from Kittens for Dummies. This includes cats and humans according to the book. Perhaps all adults realize this but it is a natural tendency for a small kid to shine a laser in a cat's eyes not realizing the horrible damage that can be done.

So yes, they CAN be used safely but I would not let my cats around kids with laser pointers (or uneducated adults). When I first got Persi, I had a plumber over to fix a leak and he pulls out a laser and starts shining it near Persi's eyes. I kicked him out of the house and called his manager and then called another plumber over. And I am NOT picking on plumbers, just showing that damage could occur when you least suspect. And judging from the pointers I see kids using in movies to annoy people, some of these things have got to be strong enough to burn a hold through the screen. Perhaps they do make low light safe ones for animals, I do not know, but I do know that a kid would not know the difference.
 

gailuvscats

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I was going to get one but now I am scared. I mean what if the cat looks at me while I am trying to point it on the wall. it is possible to accidently shine it in their eyes. Does it have to be for a long tmie, or will it instantaneously cause damage?
 

goldenkitty45

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As long as the laser light is NOT pointed directly in the face or eyes you are ok. BTW not only do Ling and Charlie love the light - Keno gets into the action too


Ling is funny - she talks up a storm at the light; Charlie just likes to catch it (especially when it goes up the wall), and Keno - she pounces on it or chases it thru the living room and trys to bite it. Funny to watch a lab pounce like a cat
 

persi & alley

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Originally Posted by GoldenKitty45

As long as the laser light is NOT pointed directly in the face or eyes you are ok
. BTW not only do Ling and Charlie love the light - Keno gets into the action too


Ling is funny - she talks up a storm at the light; Charlie just likes to catch it (especially when it goes up the wall), and Keno - she pounces on it or chases it thru the living room and trys to bite it. Funny to watch a lab pounce like a cat
I agree, but how are you going to keep a kid from doing this? I would guard it like a bottle of medicine. Everytime I have kids over they like to think of things to do to tease the cats (and I do not mean that they are intentionally wanting to be mean, let's face it, cat's reactions are fun to watch for kids and adults alike.) I did the same, it is nature for kids. And if kids get a hold of a laser they are just going to naturally want to shine it in the cat's eyes, they just do not know what they can do. AND uneducated adults. Oh, I will be back on this forum as we get closer to Easter because there are so many people that JUST DO NOT KNOW that Easter Lillies are deadly poison to cats. However, if I can save a few kitties by posting these little reminders, I will.
 

kitte

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I have several laser pointers around the house, purely for cat pleasure..

I don't give them to my visitors and if they happen to pull one out of a pocket I say, point it down onto the floor or at waist level on the walls and doors. You can't control everything that your visitors do, but you can set the rules.
 

momofmany

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Mine love lazer pointers. I don't take my eye off of the cat at any time when they are playing with it - if it gets too close to their face, I move the light away. My biggest problem with them is that my dog (75 pounds) also loves the light and chases it the same way as the cats do. Once he sees the light, he barrels into the cats and they run away.

I don't give mine to anyone that isn't cat savy.
 

goldenkitty45

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That's what Keno does - pounces in the middle of Ling and Charlie


I would not give the laser lite pen to kids!
 

greycat2

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I have one too. I just wouldn't point it at their eyes either. Mine had a warning on the label not to do so. I'd be careful with it if there are kids that want to use it unless the kid is very responsible. Of my three, only my youngest (lil' Jag) plays with it until she is exhausted. The other two could care less.
 

rapunzel47

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Cindy and Fawn love the laser. Suzy doesn't trust it as far as she can throw it. The biggest safety challenge with ours is that Cindy wants to bite the spot, which takes it a little too close for comfort in my opinion, so you have to watch for that. Other than that, it's quite simple to control -- especially as there are only cat-savvy adults in this house. Cindy and Fawn come into the kitchen while we're having dinner, and wait for Daddy to let Spot out of his house to play.
They know where Spot's House is.
 

Moz

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It's really the only thing I can get Scratch to play with. I love laser pointers for that reason so I think they're okay. It's fun to watch the kits chase the dot around too.
 

dawnofsierra

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Sierra couldn't be any less impressed, but Serenity goes nuts over it, chasing it over, across, through anything in her way, turning flips and leaping all over! I feel it's safe when handled with the careful techniques mentioned previously in the thread.
 

sicycat

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Zoey and Saki LOVE the laser. Even my ferals Snowflake and Patches will chase it! I can get Saki to run in circles


Exhibit A:

 

cococat

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My animals love the laser pointer as a toy. My cat LOVES it VERY much and would play chase for hours with it. She never gets bored with it. Just the jingle of the light when I get it out sends her running, even if she is sleeping, to play laser.
 

pekoe & nigel

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My Mom's cat used to love the laser pointer. Until she figured out where the light came from and that we could control it. She got bored of that pretty fast afterwards. Some cats are too smart for their own good.
 

auntie crazy

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My crew love the laser, too. They come running as soon as they hear me pick it up (it's attached to a key chain) and will chase it until they're panting.
 
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