Before any PETA-types go ballistic, let me explain: cats are the PLAYERS, not the targets. Is Muffin waking you up with midnight acrobatics? Not surprising -- cats are nocturnal. Give the critters something to do in the wee hours with the Midnight Kitty Laser Game. Low-power laser pointers, reflected from slowly rotating mirrors, project spots that dance enticingly around the floors and walls of your dwelling. Installed as far as practical from human sleeping areas, this gives those of the feline persuasion something to stalk and chase without disturbing the providers of kibble. Benefits: sleep for the diurnal, exercise for the nocturnal, and you now know just why Muffin needs to sleep all afternoon.
-- rmutt, Jun 25 2001

Exercise a cat with a laser pointer http://www.delphion...ils?pn=US05443036__
You'd need a couple of these to create a full version of Midnight Kitty Laser Game [Rodomontade, Jun 25 2001, last modified Oct 17 2004]

Cat Community Network http://www.halfbake...Community_20Network
Another way to exploit devices attached to cats. [Aristotle, Jun 25 2001, last modified Oct 17 2004]

Frolicat http://www.frolicat.com/
DAMMIT WHERE ARE MY ROYALTIES!?!? [rmutt, Dec 20 2010]

https://www.youtube...watch?v=AVp1tndzV34 AI cat detector plust robotic arm is overengineering in the best possible manner [rmutt, Jun 21 2022]

Sorta baked. In fact, someone even patented the concept of using a laser-pointer style device to entertain a cat.
-- supercat, Jun 26 2001


Pastry for the good intention, although I suspect that it wouldn't work. Part of the nature of cats is that they tend not to play with the things you provide, particularly at the times you specify.
-- angel, Jun 26 2001


Sort of baked indeed [supercat]. I remembered seeing that patent, so I had a quick look for it, and here it is ... <link added>
-- Rodomontade, Jun 26 2001


Can't we use the cats as targets. Attach bleeping laser receivers on all the neighbourhood cats and have them bleep loudly whenever you hit one...
-- CasaLoco, Jun 26 2001


If Real Lasers were used:
Before: =^..^=
After:=^..
Maybe that's not such a good idea
-- thumbwax, Jun 26 2001


Why not just get one of those disco dance balls and hang it from the ceiling? You could get double-duty from the device. It would be there for your friday nite disco party and keep the cats entertained as well.
-- wrinklehead, Jun 29 2001


My kitty will play avidly with the laser . . . for about 5 mins. It takes several weeks before he will play with it again. This was true with the kitty I had before him and the one before that (okay, so I've had a couple of cats get squished by cars).

My point is that I believe that the novelty would wear off rapidly. Now if you could somehow transmit the smell of, say, pepperoni, and focus it atop the laser dot, you'd really have something.
-- bristolz, Jul 06 2001


My cats, the junior one particularly, like to chase sunlight reflected off AOL cds, but not at midnight.
-- angel, Jul 06 2001


There are cat videos sold with birds flying, etc.

[angel]: my cat likes those CD's too, but I slide them across the carpet, label down, to get his attention. He'll then go crazy trying to get at the cat he sees in the reflective side.
-- Dewey, Jul 06 2001


I have to agree with bristolz about transmitting the smell of food into the laser. My cats will only follow moving objects about for so long before they get bored. The only exception to that rule are full food dishes.
-- moonsprite, Oct 12 2001


A truely halfbaked idea. Doesn't anyone know about the noise associated with cats playing? That is what gets me up in the middle of the night. I can also imagine the desctruction of a laser pointer leading my cat on top of my tv, stereo, girlfriends crystal dust collectors, and any other thing I happen to leave out.
-- easilyodd, Jan 07 2002


Some cats are more clever than others.... I have one cat who's a nut for chasing the laser pointer. She runs in ever increasing speeds in a circle chasing it so it won't end up on her butt. She won't come for treats, but if she hears the tinkle of the keychain on the laser pointer, she appears from wherever she's been hiding.

The other cat though thinks the one who chases the dot is a moron. She stands at my feet and tries to knock the pointer out of my hand to let the other cat know where it's coming from. No matter how many times she tries this, the other one never seems to catch on.
-- Aurora, Jul 03 2002


Won't work, mate. With the essential element of intelligence missing, the cat(s) will play with it for maybe five minutes before getting bored.
-- DrCurry, Jul 03 2002


You forgot one little thing - like any other true artiste, a cat likes spectators... do you really want to be dragged out of bed at midnight just to come and watch Kitty chase the pointer? Better to do it from the comfort of your own bed by shining the pointer/flashlight on the floor :)
-- Kajikit, Jul 04 2002


You forgot one little thing - like any other true artiste, a cat likes spectators... do you really want to be dragged out of bed at midnight just to come and watch Kitty chase the pointer? Better to do it from the comfort of your own bed by shining the pointer/flashlight on the floor :)
-- Kajikit, Jul 04 2002


Well done, [rmutt].
-- pertinax, Jun 21 2022



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