November 15th, 2011
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I always advise my clients not to use laser toys for playtime with their pets. Cats are tactile creatures, and when they pounce on their “prey” they want to actually feel something underneath their paws. Putting a paw over a laser light is an exercise in frustration.
People often move the lights too frantically, causing the cat to stop playing in a natural feline way and begin bouncing off the walls in an attempt to get the target. This isn’t how cats play. And in some cases, chasing laser lights can cause cats to develop a fixation with any flickering light — they may end up displaying OCD-type behavior. Although manufacturers claim the laser toys are safe, always avoid shining the light directly into your cat’s eyes. Pam Johnson-Bennett, CABC, is a certified cat behavior consultant and author of seven best-selling books. Her website is www.catbehaviorassociates.com |
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and doesn’t stop. She starts meowing and then cuts it off xD
I so agree with this.
I agree with the frustration part and that’s why I will never let my cat actually “capture” it, just chase.
I have had 16 cats over the years and they all enjoy the laser pointer. None developed OCD or acted frustrated. I think you are WAY overthinking this……..
My cats much prefer their fishing pole and street, something they can actually capture, but occasionally still enjoy chasing the red dot.
My cats, Oscar and Felix, are WAY TOO SMART for laser toys. I tried it and it took 30 seconds for them to figure out that the interesting part was in my hand and not the spot on the floor, which could never be caught.
Then they were frantically trying to get to the device itself, which was annoying because it’s not good to shine a laser into eyes.
I threw it out immediatly. A small piece of flappy cloth on a string works much better and they can catch it and chew it.
My cats love the laser toys!
I am concerned however about the safety. Especially a toy called or made by “BOLT”
“FroliCat: BOLT”
http://www.frolicat.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=F&Product_Code=TL1-003
I have another comment:
The sticky sheets that remove lint (on a cylinder) should have safety warnings on them:
If cats ever or dogs (or anything with fur) got stuck on a sheet that would be a major problem!
Tanya
My cat loved laser toys when she was a kitten After she grew up and realized it was impossible to actually “capture” it, she lost interest.
If I put it away for months at a time, she will chase it for a couple of minutes when I reintroduce it, but her heart isn’t in it. I swear she does it only to please me…
I can understand the concerns people voice about the laser lights, but there are very few ways of giving an older, indoor cat real exercise. With the laser, I can get many cats to run up and down stairs and down hallways. I’ve found nothing else that they will chase. I like to think that standing up to bat it on the wall strengthens their legs. Some cats, of course, are impervious to the laser, but I can’t see that those who enjoy it are harmed or “feel cheated” by not catching something.
Thanks for the info on the laser toys! Good to know. I was using the laser toys to get my cats to run for their excercise. However, I have them both chasing string around the house instead, and they really enjoy this game, and they can catch it! It is good excercise for both me and them since I am running with the string.
My cats prefer sticks, long and slender sticks, that I swish around. Yes, cats are not stupid and can quickly figure out that the dot is not capturable and, naturally, give up.
You’re joking right! That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard.
Another benefit of laser toys (IMO) is they cannot get “tangled” up in them.
I’m always afraid of toys on strings getting wound around a leg (It has happened wit each of my cats) WITH ME THERE.
I read once upon a time that you should always give the cats a treat after a game of laser tag. I would toss one on the floor and make them chase the laser over to the treat and they could pounce on that. A tangible reward for an intangible chase.
My cats never have problems with the lasers…they chase for a few minutes and move on…although it took one of them approximately 10 seconds to figure out it was ME doing it and he stopped chasing it!
I think my cats are bright enough to know what it is. They recognize the toy when I take it out of the drawer and immediately “get in position” to give chase. They know full well that they can’t catch it and they still have a blast. Even Allie who is generally too sophisticated for toys LOVES the laser.
My cat was never interested in them….just stood there with the look of “boring, what’s next”
We have one that we started him on a laser light when he was already a year old, because he DID have a fixation on shiny things. He loved earring, necklaces, really any kind of jewelry. And of course when you’re wearing it and hold a kitten, there’s no easy way to keep it away from him. He was always careful about his claws though, not once did I ever get scratched by him trying to catch one of my necklaces or earrings while I was wearing them. But the lasers never get bought, they’re only used when we get them with something or from somewhere free.
My fiance and I also have a cat, but while he’s interested in moving lights, he won’t chase them except when he’s really wound-up. And being an inside-only cat who has some abuse-related mental problems (he was abandoned in an apartment with no food or water for over a week) and lives in a small apartment, he has a tendency to eat too much and exercise too little. Thankfully, the landlord is going to expand this apartment into the one adjacent to it, so that will hopefully help part of the problem.
Frustration?!?? Aren’t you anthromorphising just a wee bit?? I think cats may be intelligent enough to realize what it is & not chase it but that’s just due to the cat’s individual personality. We have a variety of fuzzy mice AND rattle/jingle balls simply because one cat loves the mice while another prefers the balls.
Unfortunately the danger to the cat’s eyes IS quite real and that’s why I’d never get one of those automatic laser toys, like the BOLT toy mentioned or others like it.
I think you are WAY overthinking this
My three cats love the laser pointer. They also have other toys that they play with, ones they can catch, but the laser pointer is their favorite. They know it is me making it move, and prepare to give chase as soon as they see the pointer in my hand. I agree, though, that if not handled correctly by someone who knows what they are doing, they could be dangerous to the cat’s eyes.
One of my three cats loves the laser pointer, knows the drawer where it is kept, and paws at that drawer when she wants to play with the pointer. All three of them love the “sheet chase”. I run down the hall dragging an old sheet, and they chase it, trying to jump on it for a ride! Great exercise for all of us! They also love “hide and seek.” That’s the game where I go to the bathroom, and they yowl until they find me! They also love “scare Mom”, where they hide and jump out at me as I walk by. I love my fur-babies!
My kitties love the laser toy. It’s the only way I can get my overweight ~1 year old cat to play. All three kitties love to get in a competition to see which one can get closest to it. The dog loves it too and I use it sometimes when he has too much energy but we can’t let him outside. He gets too excited when he meets new people and will jump on them to let out his excitement. The laser toy is an easy way to let him get out his burst of energy without making the visitor’s clothes dirty =p I do make sure I never shine it in anyone’s eyes though.
I have been a cat rescuer for many years..and I find a laser an invaluable training tool and toy. Whilst I totally agree with keeping a laser away from their eyes, I have never witnessed OCD behaviour, Frustration, or a new found fascination with other lights. I use a standard, not a toy, laser – and would not use a ‘toy’ one that can go off randomly. A laser is excellent for multicat play, burning off excess energy when indoors, and strengthening body muscles (reaching up walls, running up and down stairs). I also use a laser to train cats to wait their turn, share, get them down or away from something, to come in or out of a room…it is also works brilliantly for training more timid cats, cats that need to increase their agility skills, increase their reaction speeds, increase confidence, increase their social intelligence…the list IS endless. Whilst I use other toys to train and exercise – I have found that a laser is quicker at catching their attention and keeping them focused. It is also fantastic for dispelling squabbles, in the way of diversion therapy, and should a squabble be already in progress – a laser can get to them, quicker than a human can. Therefore modification of behaviour is more quickly addressed. Out of all the techniques and interventions I use – a laser is paramount – I could NOT be without one.
My one cat loves it 2 others play once in awhile..
I is terrified of it… Runs and hides when I pick it up..
My cats love the pointer. I love it too cause to be honest on the few nites that i close at 10 and then open the store at 8 the next day, i’m too tired to play play. The pointer allows for the cats to get excersise and play. I have a cat who was also abused, left abonded in an apartment for a month who is severily overweight and this allows her to get more excercise.
I didn’t read all of the numerous comments here, but the “OCD-like” behavior caught my attention because my brother brought a laser pointer over and played with my kitten with it. Ever since then he chases every shadow he sees!
I love the laser. But I guess I am an old fashioned fellow I like my fur mice and I love the feather toys. My mom put the laser away because she was worried about my eyes. but I play fetch with the best of them. I already run through the house like a terror with my heels on fire. Chasing the laser seemed to frustrate me more.
I thought this advice was way out of line, but I was wrong. My youngest (age 7) went wild chasing the red dot. We played every evening before bedtime and I was pleased to see him getting winded from the exercise (of which he doesn’t get enough). But after about four weeks of chasing the red dot every evening, he got tired of not being able to grab hold of it and now he wants nothing more to do with it. Perhaps after leaving it alone for a few weeks, his interest will be renewed, but he never gets tired of playing with a toy mouse tied to a string (never left out when I am not there). I now believe that the advice is correct. Cats do get frustrated when they chase something they can never catch.
We have two cats. We were given a laser toy for them 3 months ago. One cat is completely disinterested. The other appeared to really enjoy chasing it – he’d go wild. But after maybe 10 times playing with it, recently he has become obsessed with shadows and will spend long periods of time staring at the wall, or standing on hind legs to be able to reach non-existent patches of colour. It is upsetting to see him like this. I hope he gets over it. I had no idea that a laser pointer could trigger OCD.
Thank you for this post; though I’m sure the vast majority of cats and pet owners find laser toys to be very enjoyable, I do agree that it can trigger OCD like behaviors in some felines.
I have two cats, one could care less about the laser toy and only displays a total lack of interest in its presence. My other kitty, who is a young and somewhat skittish rescue, became absolutely obsessed with the laser toy to an extreme. She would fixate on the light immediately and would spend hours (yes, hours) working her way around the house afterward, jumping in the direction of every shuffling sound or fluttering movement; searching high and low for the insatiably mysterious disappearing beam of confounding prey. (She also goes bonkers over the occasional fly skittering through the house, only difference is she usually catches the fly at some point)
I felt uncomfortable about playing with the laser toy after seeing her overly focused behavior with said laserbeam. As other owners might simply say: “Its not worth it.” . . . regardless of whether or not there is any substance to theories of psychological distress (to which I believe there IS credence to this potential link to obsessive/compulsive hunting behavior)
Some cats can’t eat certain kinds of food without barfing or breaking into hives; other cats (of the vast majority) can eat just about anything without a problem. The neurological and physiological underpinnings of behavior and response varies from kitty to kitty . . . so it goes.