Laser light fun

twofatcats

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I got a laser light a couple of days ago to play with the cats. I'm not sure who is having the most fun with it, me or the cats! OMG, did they ever take to that, especially Purdy. He usually just watches Red Cat and me play with the bird wand toy, so this was great news. I'm sure he must have run up and down the stairs at least a dozen times this morning chasing that red light, plus I don't know how many times up and down the hall. Since both of my cats are overweight, this will give them some needed extra exercise. Red Cat wasn't quite as enthusiastic about the laser light, but he's been a bit under the weather with his sore (and possibly itchy) belly.

Most of you probably already knew about using laser lights as a cat toy, but I'd never heard of it or thought about it until I read about it on this forum. It is amazing all I've learned in just the month I've been here!
 

hissy

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That is the concept behind these forums, to have fun, but also to learn about cats and how to make them happy. I have laser toys as well, but as fast as my cats move, I am always afraid the light is going to get into their eyes and cause damage. I use a old fishing pole and a toy on the end of the line. Works for me and the cats love it too.
 

chelle

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I have one too that my friends mom bought me and both of my cats
just LOVE it
 

loubelia

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I heard that PetsMart has a 'pointer' toy that is safe for the cat's eyes? I haven't bought one yet, but I get such a laugh watching my cats watch the light shadow reflect off my watch on sunny days in their cat room.
 

dantesmom

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Oh yes, our babies LOVE the "red dot" as we call it! Lily didn't seem to care about it at all at first... but once she saw how much fun Dante was having chasing it, she got into it too.

The funniest thing is when we make it go on the ceiling!! LOL! Those two look and try to jump at it (like they could reach to the top of our 10 foot ceiling!) and Dante makes that strange hunting noise (gives me the creeps, but it's cute!) and they just go NUTZ! It's the best toy for us too, because I can just sit there watching TV and wiggle my wrist a little and they are entertained for hours!


...just don't EVER shine it in their eyes, or yours for that matter. It can do a lot of damage.
 

jcat

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Originally posted by DantesMom
Oh yes, our babies LOVE the "red dot" as we call it! Lily didn't seem to care about it at all at first... but once she saw how much fun Dante was having chasing it, she got into it too.

The funniest thing is when we make it go on the ceiling!! LOL! Those two look and try to jump at it (like they could reach to the top of our 10 foot ceiling!) and Dante makes that strange hunting noise (gives me the creeps, but it's cute!) and they just go NUTZ! It's the best toy for us too, because I can just sit there watching TV and wiggle my wrist a little and they are entertained for hours!


...just don't EVER shine it in their eyes, or yours for that matter. It can do a lot of damage.
We call it "red dot", too! Since he can't actually "catch" it, I usually follow up a game of "red dot" with one of his "fishing poles" (he prefers the ones with furry mice). When Jamie was a kitten, he would play "red dot" for at least an hour every day. I went through so many batteries that the people in the camera shop finally asked if my camera might be defective. They had a good laugh when I told them I was buying the batteries for a cat toy.
 

dantesmom

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jcat - I know exactly what you mean!!! I was spending so much on those fancy little watch batteries that I went out and bought a NEW "red dot" - one that took normal AAA batteries! Now I have a charger and I got some of the nice rechargable ones, so we're all set in the battery department. (The charger also charges the AA batteries in my digital camera, so I can take all the photos of the kitties that I want!)
 
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twofatcats

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I can't say what they usually cost, but I got one on eBay for under $15, including shipping.
 

chixyb

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If you are worried about cost, don't buy one! We found out (on accident) what Doku is obsessed about, we lost power one night so I got out the flashlight, boy did she go crazy! We won't even bother buying a lazer light, we have enough flashlights around. We call it "her friend" now when she sees any light moving she thinks it is her friend and goes spasmatic! She will run in circles, but she won't dare touch "her friend", we have even shined the light across our german shepherd and she ran right over the top of him! LOL

I don't know what Doku would do without her friend!
 

debby

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Just be really careful with them..if the light gets in their eyes, it can cause damage. Not worth the risk.
 

thy451

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GASP!!! Do you know this thread of telling people to go use a laser to play with a cat without any directions as to obtaining a licence for it use is inducing an infringement of a patent!

http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-P...&RS=PN/5443036

Anywho, while it is an infringement, most probably the person who initially filed this particular patent just did it out of fun. Enjoy reading the patent, but beware you could be sued for starting this thread and partaking in inducing an infringement!

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United States Patent 5,443,036
Amiss , et al. August 22, 1995

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Method of exercising a cat


Abstract
A method for inducing cats to exercise consists of directing a beam of invisible light produced by a hand-held laser apparatus onto the floor or wall or other opaque surface in the vicinity of the cat, then moving the laser so as to cause the bright pattern of light to move in an irregular way fascinating to cats, and to any other animal with a chase instinct.


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Inventors: Amiss; Kevin T. (255 S. Pickett St., #301, Alexandria, VA 22304); Abbott; Martin H. (10549 Assembly Dr., Fairfax, VA 22030)
Appl. No.: 144473
Filed: November 2, 1993

Current U.S. Class: 119/707
Intern'l Class: A01K 029/00
Field of Search: 119/702,707,174,905 446/485



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References Cited [Referenced By]

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U.S. Patent Documents
3877171 Apr., 1975 Sloop et al. 446/485.
4208701 Jun., 1980 Schock.
4231077 Oct., 1980 Joyce et al.
4757515 Jul., 1988 Hughes.
4761715 Aug., 1988 Brooks.
4926438 May., 1990 Maes et al.
4985029 Jan., 1991 Hoshino.
5056097 Oct., 1991 Meyers.
5194007 Mar., 1993 Marshall et al.



Other References
Carayan et al., "Effects of tianeptine on the Performance of a reaching movement in a cat", Psychopharmacology, vol. 104, Issue 3, Berlin, 1991, pp. 328-336.
Levesque et al., "Visual `cortical-recipient` and tectal-recepient pontine zones play distinct roles in cat visuomotor performance", Behavioral Brain Research, vol. 39, Netherlands, 1990, pp. 157-166.

Primary Examiner: Manahan; Todd E.

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Claims

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What is claimed is:

1. A method of inducing aerobic exercise in an unrestrained cat comprising the steps of:

(a) directing an intense coherent beam of invisible light produced by a hand-held laser apparatus to produce a bright highly-focused pattern of light at the intersection of the beam and an opaque surface, said pattern being of visual interest to a cat; and

(b) selectively redirecting said beam out of the cat's immediate reach to induce said cat to run and chase said beam and pattern of light around an exercise area.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said bright pattern of light is small in area relative to a paw of the cat.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said beam remains invisible between said laser and said opaque surface until impinging on said opaque surface.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein step (b) includes sweeping said beam at an angular speed to cause said pattern to move along said opaque surface at a speed in the range of five to twenty-five feet per second.
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Description

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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Technical Field

The present invention relates to recreational and amusement devices for domestic animals and, more particularly, to a method for exercising and entertaining cats.

2. Discussion of the Prior Art

Cats are not characteristically disposed toward voluntary aerobic exercise. It becomes the burden of the cat owner to create situations of sufficient interest to the feline to induce even short-lived and modest exertion for the health and well-being of the pet. Cats are, however, fascinated by light and enthralled by unpredictable jumpy movements, as for instance, by the bobbing end of a piece of hand-held string or yarn, or a ball rolling and bouncing across a floor. Intense sunlight reflected from a mirror or focused through a prism, if the room is sufficiently dark, will, when moved irregularly, cause even the more sedentary of cats to scamper after the lighted image in an amusing and therapeutic game of "cat and mouse." The disruption of having to darken a room to stage a cat workout and the uncertainty of collecting a convenient sunbeam in a lens or mirror render these approaches to establishing a regular life-enhancing cat exercise routine inconvenient at best.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved method of exercising a cat in normal day and night lighting environments.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a method of providing amusing, entertaining and healthy exercise for a cat.

It is yet another object of the present invention to teach a method of exercising a cat effortlessly at any time.

In accordance with the present invention, a light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation (laser) device in a small hand-held configuration is used to project and move a bright pattern of light around a room to amuse and exercise a cat.

The method is effective, simple, convenient and inexpensive to practice and provides healthy exercise for the cat and amusement and entertainment for both the cat and the owner.

These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description and accompanying drawings of one specific embodiment thereof.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cat owner exercising a cat in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a hand-held laser exerciser.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring to the drawings, a light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation (laser) apparatus 10 for exercising cats, in the hands of a cat owner 12, emits an invisible beam 14 of light from and along the longitudinal axis of the device barrel 16. Activation of the laser cat exerciser 10 is controlled by spring-loaded trigger 18 energizing the laser mechanism by completing a battery power circuit. A cat 20 reacts to the bright pattern of light 22 occurring at the intersection of the laser beam and an opaque surface, for example, the floor or wall of a room.

The involuntary and almost imperceptibly slight movements of the hand holding the laser device of the present invention creates a jittery animated effect in the light pattern at the opaque intersection appealing to cats even when the device is held essentially steady.

Intentional movements of the hand-held cat exerciser cause angular changes in the direction of the beam 14 and consequently the light pattern 22 moves unpredictably about the intersecting surfaces. The cat 20, intrigued by the jumpy movement of the light pattern, experiences a playful and healthy chase impulse and follows the irregularly moving light pattern around the room to the cardio-vascular, respiratory, weight control, and muscle tone benefit of the animal.

The coherent nature of a laser light beam results in a small intensely bright pattern of light clearly visible in normal day light or artificial night illumination, small enough relative to the paw of the cat to cause interest without posing a threat, and sharply defined over long enough distances (e.g., up to 150 feet) to provoke a full workout with long sprints for the pet. Ideally the bright pattern of light is directed along the floor, steps or wall at speeds sufficient to exert and entertain the cat but not so discouragingly fast as to dissuade against the chase, i.e., typically in the general range of 5 to 25 feet per second. In other words, the angular sweep speed of the laser beam is controlled by the cat owner 12 to effect an appropriate linear sweep speed of the pattern on the opaque surface within the stated general range. It is understood, of course, that the angular beam sweep speed required to effect a given linear pattern speed depends upon the distance between the laser and the surface on which the pattern impinges; specifically, as the distance between the laser and the surface increases, the same linear pattern speed is produced by a slower angular beam sweep speed. Release of trigger 18 interrupts the power circuit and extinguishes the laser beam, whereupon the cat can return to more traditionally feline time passing until cat owner 12 re-initiates the laser cat exerciser.

The light pattern projected by the laser cat exerciser is invisible until intersection with an opaque surface. Lasers emitting various colors of coherent light can be used and the laser apparatus can be distinctively shaped and colored for easy identification.

Although particularly suited to amusing and exercising cats, the method of the present invention can be applied to other domestic pets, for instance dogs, ferrets, and any other animals with the chase instinct.

Inasmuch as the present invention is subject to many variations, modifications and changes in detail, it is intended that the subject matter discussed above and shown in the accompanying drawings be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.


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aussie_dog

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well, I sort of found something almost as good. I have a little tiny flash light key-chain, except instead of shining yellow or white light, the flashlight shines red light. It wouldn't work like a laser pointer, because the "dot" is way to big, and its only visible if you put it inches from the floor. 12 inches away, and you can barely see it. Anyway, i held it under the bed sheets and turned it on, dragging it back and forth. Buffy and Willow just saw the "dot" (nice and small
) and they went crazy. Since my hand was starting to get scratched up, I held it under a piece of paper that was hanging off the dresser, and started dragging it back and forth there too. They could see the red dot, and went crazy. It's a little more work than a laser, but I think it'll work...
 
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