Cats and Laser Pointers
Cats are creatures of habit and demand schedules that are predictable. I say this as a purrson who is deeply committed to kitty servitude, who willingly chose to devote my life to waiting on them paw and paw. Our furry bundles of joy have taken over our household and make their wishes known openly and unabashedly.
Fur instance; every night as I get ready to go off to dreamland, our lilac point Oriental, Hush Puppy is now deeply steeped in a little ritual in which I must participate, or he won't let me get a full night's rest. If I forget, or am too tired to entertain him, he will either chew my hair or leave the room, pouting, only to start caterwauling in the living room. Those sounds could wake the neighbors, I suspect.
Of course, I was the sucker who initiated this little night time exercise, hoping that I could wear him out sufficiently by expending some pent up energy, prior to bedtime. He would sleep, his brother would sleep and of course, this would purrmit me a good night's sleep.
Right after I feed the boys their nighttime snack, the TV is turned off, the living room lights are extinguished and I slowly and deliberately walk into the bedroom. Hush Puppy is already waiting for me sitting on the floor next to the bed; his eager eyes staring at me as he flexes his feline muscles in preparation for his prey . . . the laser pointer. This toy is used with a great deal of caution and care to prevent an eye injury.
There are even specially made lasers for cats 
He begins by stalking the tiny beam of red light, haunches up in the air, shaking them back and forth as he gathers steam for the pounce. And as he chases the beam around the room, his speed rivals that of the fastest thoroughbred race horse. Catching his breath for another onslaught, the ensuing action is his attempt to snare the elusive beam in his mouth. This concentrated play continues for about 15 minutes, when he finally is worn out and loses interest. The ritual concludes by my giving him tummy rubs; his motor running as loudly as an idling car engine. Then he gently slithers inside the covers to go to sleep.
It amazes me how some cats are fascinated by laser pointers, while others get bored in a few minutes, after not being able to capture the beam. I was thrilled to find this little video of a couple of enthusiastic cats displaying their predilection for the hunt, and their obvious determination to bag the beam. Aaron Rift's videos are my favorites.
So without further amew, here is his production of "The Cat Diaries, Episode 11:Cats vs. Laser Pointer"
What night time rituals do you participate in with your cats? Share your experiences by leaving a comment.
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Comments (3)
Anonymous January 31, 2009 9:33 AM
That video is great. We play laser pointer here too. The tip has many different pictures but the cat's favorite is the little UFO space ship. When that laser tip is used they ave the most fun. As for bed time ritual, we have those too. At about 9:00 PM Sabu will start haunting me with his beautiful presence. He is impatiently waiting for me to go to bed. He wants to be held or will get up onto the desk and in the way. Finally when I do go to bed he dives under the covers and drapes himself across my back. He knows that it helps the back pain go away. Somehow they know that important information. Fizzy will arrive in the bedroom when poppa goes to bed. She watches him carefully to make sure he gets ready for bed properly and then has to "kiss" lick him goodnight. She then settles down between our pillows and snores her way through the night.
Thanks for a great article.
Anonymous January 31, 2009 9:36 AM
Most of mine like the laser pointer...Pirate (the oldest) just LOVES it...the others can play for a while with it, but Pi is like a 4 month old kitten again with it...such fun when you put the light on another cat's paw and watch some of the others go "um, do I pounce on it or not?"
Anonymous January 31, 2009 3:12 PM
Hum, laser light in my house can be very dangerous to our cats. The problem is that our 3 dogs love the laser as much as the cats. If I am not careful I have the dogs bowling over the cats. They seem to enjoy playing kitty bowling. So I try to do the laser things when I know the dogs aren't around. Then I set a side time for the doggies to have lots of fun and tire out for the night.
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