How often do you play with the laser pointer?

I'm curious to know! I just bought a laser pointer and both Audrey and Snow are CRAZY for it!! They both like other toys (such as the feather toy) but I have never seen any of them react so excited and obsesssed to any other toy as they have to this.. it's fun to watch.. but I have heard that overusing it can cause some mental issues and an obsessive behavior..I notice that even about 5 minutes after I've stopped playing with it, they both are still looking around for it.. unlike the other toys they can never "catch" this toy and "finish it off" so they seem kind of restless.. after awhile they forget about it.. but I don't want to screw them up mentally!!

This is kind of my curiosity to know if their is a recommended time period (mine are kittens) or in general how often you guys use it and for how long of a period? (5minutes, 10 minutes.. every other day.. once a week?) Do your kitties go as crazy for it and look for it even after you've put it up? And over time does their obsessiveness over it go decrease??

I usually just get it out about once a week, for 15 minutes or so. They go crazy for it, but if I do it too long or often they do get bored, same as the rest of the toys.

Shark and Arwen used to go scatty each time I used a laser pointer..they would jump up at doors, the walls, chase it round in circles! After 5/10 minutes or so, they would get tired and leave it alone. Nowadays if they see it, they just look as if to say 'I'm bored with that now, anything new?'

It used to be great fun to watch when they were kittens, but the novelty of it has worn off now, they have more interest in the catnip

We used it everyday for a couple weeks. I would let Wally decide when the play session was over, usually about 5-10 minutes. I didn't notice any problems. But after a couple of weeks, he got completely bored with it. Now he won't have anything to do with it.

My cats enjoy it very much.
I use it every day for about 15 min.
But I only do it at night with lights turned off. Then they go crazy.


-Kazy

-Every- single day

Mine never get tired of it. Ever! I wear out before they do!

At least 3x's a day. Only 3 go crazy for it, 2 ignore it and the other 2 bob their heads. Ben now talks to it. LoL It's the cutest thing but he only does it for me. DH hasn't seen it yet.

I got one of the ones that has the little shape filters for Christmas 2006. Sealink and Cybot are totally disinterested. Valentine, on the other hand, goes NUTS over it. She'll chase it in circles, up the walls, all over the room. It's rather nice because she's a little pudgy and tends to be pretty sedentary. It gets her up and moving!

However, she definitely knows where the laser comes from, right down to the sound the little keychain part makes when it clinks together. The SECOND she hears the noise, her head pops up and her ears perk. The minute I turn it OFF she turns and looks at me like "Excuse me? Did I SAY we were done here?" Still no loss of interest over a year later.

Hmm, 1-2 x a week. Not usually for more than 5-10 minutes though. Mattie won't play with it, I'm not even sure if she sees it. Chloe *loves* it but gets really frustrated. She does the chirpy-prey-meow thing with the laser though and it's so cute!

We use it every night before Forrest goes to bed. Usually for about 15 minutes or so. Our house has an open floor plan so I can sit in a chair on one side and run him the full length of the house and down a hallway and back....he does this over and over again. He really runs! Near the end of laser time he'll run and then lay down for a few seconds then jump back up to run again.

I feed him and put him to bed after that and he'll sleep all night.

I use mine most nights, they start off all enthusiastic then when they realize they are not going to get the dot they usually give up which is after about five minutes.