Current Events > Are laser pointer toys cruel for cats?

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Was looking up why cats chase laser pointers and saw a bunch of blogs and articles talking about if it's cruel or not to use them.

Are they? Or are people just oversensitive? My cat seems to enjoy it and knows that it's just a light from a pen. Curious what y'all think since there are some CEmen who even think letting cats outside is cruel

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Yeah I've read articles like that. The concern is that the cat thinks the dot is some type of prey. And tll that they get anxious or something like that about not ever being able to catch the prey. Has some logic to it. I don't know. I'm not an animal behavioral psychologist. My one cat barely cares about it at all. Other will chase for about 5 minutes and then be done. So maybe they realize it's just for fun? I dunno

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One time I used two laser pointers to really screw with my cat.

I can imagine him talking to my other cat and being all dude I saw the red light again...and I saw two of them!

other cat: bull!!!

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Let the cat chase it and place a treat somewhere, when playtime is over point the laser at the treat

Done
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we used to have this little automatic thing that would shoot laser pointer dots at random spots in the room, my cat was obsessed with it. if it was turned off he would sit next to it and meow until someone turned it back on. didnt sound like he was being tortured to me lol

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i think my cats and dogs realize that the thing is fake. they will ask me to do the laser for them, and when i pull it out, before i even push in the button theyll be looking at the floor for the red dot. if i stop, they know its me in control of it and whine at me to do it again
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my cat reacts to the jingle of the keychain on the pointer like shaking a treat bag. I feel like she knows its fun and I dont think shes ever acted anxious when I stop, she usually just comes up and rubs against me or wanders off

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SSJCAT posted...

i think my cats and dogs realize that the thing is fake. they will ask me to do the laser for them, and when i pull it out, before i even push in the button theyll be looking at the floor for the red dot. if i stop, they know its me in control of it and whine at me to do it again

They know you're using the pen to "let it out" but they could easily just think you are literally letting out a little red bug that they can't smell or touch. But there's nothing wrong with playing with it.
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It is fun for that cat and exorcise.

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ultimate reaver posted...

my cat reacts to the jingle of the keychain on the pointer like shaking a treat bag. I feel like she knows its fun and I dont think shes ever acted anxious when I stop, she usually just comes up and rubs against me or wanders off

So does mine, he perks up and looks at me til I turn it on.

I understand the whole "they never catch the prey" but as said, put a treat down and that excuse is gone. Plus my cat doesn't seem anxious at all, nor any cat I've played with

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I actually used to be firmly against laser pointers for this reason: I had a cat literally break psychologically after the first time playing with the laser pointer, you could tell she was constantly looking for the red dot for the rest of her life after that, it interfered with her daily life. after a few years and a couple different cat now I dont mind playing with laser pointers. My thoughts are its kind of like acid, some cats might be more prone to a psychological trigger like that, yet the only way to know its by trying it out, and at that point its too late. If it wouldnt have been the pointer to make her constantly on edge, it would have been something else down the line.
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