Loco!Laser Is Something For An Indoor Cat To Chase
Pros: Provides source of exercise for indoor cats
Cons: Possible vision damage with misuse; Not all cats will chase it; Small screw on battery cover is a pain
Reviewed: 2 months ago -- Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Pet Product Reviewed by: Michele (MicheleZ)
Supporting Shelter: Pet Adoption League
Supporting rescue: Community Angel Network
Reviewed Product
Review Details
This is something most cats should enjoy chasing, but may soon tire of it if they realize there is little/no chance of actually "getting it". I don't know if I lost the "instruction sheet" or it wasn't even enclosed, but I did not get a chance to read it. Since there were loose batteries in the plastic bubble, I assumed that they had to be inserted before the laser toy could be used; I discovered AFTER removing the (pain-in-the-butt) tiny screw on the battery cover that the batteries were already installed (and the loose batteries were "spares"). [UGH!]
Surprisingly, Luzy--my eldest cat at age 12+--initially got very excited over the light and made a real effort to catch it. It held her interest for a good 10 minutes before she apparently gave up. I was also surprised that neither KeyZo, Zac, nor Skizzy (who later appeared) made any real attempt at chasing the light--they mostly watched it, but didn't seem too thrilled. I would guess that this is something kittens/young cats WOULD chase for long periods of time (but I may be wrong since I was surprised at my cats' reactions).
The "problem" is that the laser light can cause vision damage ("even brief direct contact with the eyes"), so the light has to be kept too far away from the cat to draw the cat's interest. If the light is directed toward the floor or low on the walls, you would run the risk of it getting in the direct path of your cat's eyes--which is not worth the risk. If it is directed higher on the walls and/or the ceiling, the cat will realize s/he can't capture it, so won't even try. The cat may continue to WATCH the light, but this would NOT give the cat any exercise (unless moving eyes can be considered "exercise"!); the laser light is reduced to "entertaining" as opposed to a means of "boost(ing) your cat's activity level".
The laser is inexpensive, so it is worth buying and trying, but I doubt it will make any "tubby" cats get enough exercise to be a beneficial toy.
Surprisingly, Luzy--my eldest cat at age 12+--initially got very excited over the light and made a real effort to catch it. It held her interest for a good 10 minutes before she apparently gave up. I was also surprised that neither KeyZo, Zac, nor Skizzy (who later appeared) made any real attempt at chasing the light--they mostly watched it, but didn't seem too thrilled. I would guess that this is something kittens/young cats WOULD chase for long periods of time (but I may be wrong since I was surprised at my cats' reactions).
The "problem" is that the laser light can cause vision damage ("even brief direct contact with the eyes"), so the light has to be kept too far away from the cat to draw the cat's interest. If the light is directed toward the floor or low on the walls, you would run the risk of it getting in the direct path of your cat's eyes--which is not worth the risk. If it is directed higher on the walls and/or the ceiling, the cat will realize s/he can't capture it, so won't even try. The cat may continue to WATCH the light, but this would NOT give the cat any exercise (unless moving eyes can be considered "exercise"!); the laser light is reduced to "entertaining" as opposed to a means of "boost(ing) your cat's activity level".
The laser is inexpensive, so it is worth buying and trying, but I doubt it will make any "tubby" cats get enough exercise to be a beneficial toy.
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