# Have you ever met a cat that learnt what a laser pointer is? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 24, 2019, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-met-a-cat-that-learnt-what-a-laser-pointer-is/831442 "2019-03-24T05:56:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Aquadementia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aquadementia/32/555_2.png) [@Aquadementia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aquadementia)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2019, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-met-a-cat-that-learnt-what-a-laser-pointer-is/831442/21 "2019-03-24T22:39:09Z")
I haven’t had too much luck explaining quantum physics to a cat. I tend to lose them when it comes to Schrodinger’s, umm, mouse. ---
**Author:** ![Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malleus_incus_stapes/32/3293_2.png) [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malleus_Incus_Stapes)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2019, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-met-a-cat-that-learnt-what-a-laser-pointer-is/831442/22 "2019-03-25T02:11:49Z")
> [@Napier](#): > > I’ve had some cats who didn’t seem to be able to see a red laser pointer but reacted strongly to a green one. I wonder if the red wavelength might be close to the edge of detectability for cats. From what I’ve read, it is. Cats see best in the blue and green range. ---
**Author:** ![Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hilarity_n.suze/32/6223_2.png) [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilarity_N.Suze)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2019, 8:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-met-a-cat-that-learnt-what-a-laser-pointer-is/831442/23 "2019-03-25T08:44:33Z")
One of my two old cats did not care about the laser pointer and I couldn’t use it with the other one because in her youth she had a bad reaction to it. (Went catatonic, or maybe just atonic since she was already a cat. Anyway, had a seizure or something; I wasn’t there.) Now I have two kittens and they will play with anything. It is cute the way I will shine it on the wall and then stop and they will walk around to look for it on the other side of the wall. One of them also really enjoys watching tennis on tv. The other one apparently can’t see the tv at all. ---
**Author:** ![RandomNerd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f04885/32.png) [@RandomNerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RandomNerd)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2019, 9:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-met-a-cat-that-learnt-what-a-laser-pointer-is/831442/24 "2019-03-25T09:56:33Z")
All of my cats will play with the laser pointer, I try to turn it off once they land on it solidly so they think they killed it. My boy cats love the feathers on a stick toy, they know I control it. My black cat will knock my arm relentlessly to get me to play, and starts to steal teh toy and run if the other boy catches it. He will bat the stick to prevent me from moving it before he wants his next round. He will jump a couple feet straight up trying to snag it, insanely adorable and murderous at the same time as is cat standard. Most probably link what is going onto the human, it is still fun. Almost have one trained to fetch althouh that seems more abstract to them. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2019, 10:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-met-a-cat-that-learnt-what-a-laser-pointer-is/831442/25 "2019-03-25T10:01:38Z")
And if I use a laser pointer to play with a cat, does it constitute a [patent infringement](https://patents.google.com/patent/US5443036A/en)? 😛 ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2019, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-met-a-cat-that-learnt-what-a-laser-pointer-is/831442/26 "2019-03-25T12:27:35Z")
> [@Aquadementia](#): > > I haven’t had too much luck explaining quantum physics to a cat. I tend to lose them when it comes to Schrodinger’s, umm, mouse. Try using this book: > **[How to Teach Quantum Physics to Your Dog: Orzel, Chad: 9781416572299:...](https://www.amazon.com/How-Teach-Quantum-Physics-Your/dp/1416572295)** > > How to Teach Quantum Physics to Your Dog \[Orzel, Chad\] on Amazon.com. \*FREE\* shipping on qualifying offers. How to Teach Quantum Physics to Your Dog **How to Teach Quantum Physics to Your Dog** by Chad Orzel Or, if all else fails, this one: > **[Quantum Physics for Babies: The Perfect Physics Gift and STEM Learning Book for...](https://www.amazon.com/Quantum-Physics-Babies-Baby-University/dp/1492656224)** > > Quantum Physics for Babies: The Perfect Physics Gift and STEM Learning Book for Babies from the #1 Science Author for Kids (Baby University) \[Ferrie, Chris\] on Amazon.com. \*FREE\* shipping on qualifying offers. Quantum Physics for Babies: The Perfect... **Quantum Physics for Babies** (Board book) by Chris Ferrie ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2019, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-met-a-cat-that-learnt-what-a-laser-pointer-is/831442/27 "2019-03-25T12:29:53Z")
Slightly off topic: [This video,](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wT37fAiH8TY) in which the orange cat comes to the realization that the black cat is in fact blind - and then deliberately sneaks away as quietly as possible. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2019, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-met-a-cat-that-learnt-what-a-laser-pointer-is/831442/28 "2019-03-25T12:33:53Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > And if I use a laser pointer to play with a cat, does it constitute a [patent infringement](https://patents.google.com/patent/US5443036A/en)? 😛 Nope. I wrote a column about this (now included as a chapter of my book _How the Ray Gun Got its Zap!_. Basically, you have to pay a series of “intermediate” fees to maintain your patent during its lifetime, and the guys who filed that patent failed to do so. So it lapsed. Anyone can use a laser pointer now without fear of prosecution for patent infringement. According to lawyers I’ve spoken with, the patent almost certainly would have crumbled under its first court challenge. I’m surprised the patent was ever granted. In fact, the first time through, it failed. The authors patched up their argument with the bare minimum of changes to overcome the (pretty damned lazy) objections the examiner threw at it. Then the same thing happened again. The third time, the patent was allowed, but I suspect the examiners figured it wasn’t worth the government fighting against such a weak patent, and figured they’d let the marketplace do the job of killing it. I suspect the guys who filed the patent were doing it either just to prove a point, or just to see if they could do it. Neither of them responded to my inquiries. ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2019, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-met-a-cat-that-learnt-what-a-laser-pointer-is/831442/29 "2019-03-25T14:18:08Z")
We had an orange cat who loved chasing the laser dot until the time my husband pointed it in circles around her so that she chased it round and round, like a kitten chasing its own tail. She got so dizzy she just fell over. After that she would have nothing to do with the laser dot. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2019, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-met-a-cat-that-learnt-what-a-laser-pointer-is/831442/30 "2019-03-25T14:25:02Z")
Our oldest cat, who passed a couple years ago, he figured it out almost immediately and was never interested in it ever again. The two current ones, one 10 and the other about 3, they are still certain they’re going to catch it. I think the younger one might eventually figure it out, but the 10 year old has never tired of it and shows no signs that she ever will. ---
**Author:** ![tricoteuse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tricoteuse/32/4334_2.png) [@tricoteuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tricoteuse)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2019, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-met-a-cat-that-learnt-what-a-laser-pointer-is/831442/31 "2019-03-25T15:05:20Z")
My first cat figured it out although it was a flashlight rather than a laser pointer. When he wanted to play he’d reach up and bat at the drawer where we kept it and meow until someone got it out. ---
**Author:** ![Cardigan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardigan/32/187_2.png) [@Cardigan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardigan)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2019, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-met-a-cat-that-learnt-what-a-laser-pointer-is/831442/32 "2019-03-25T15:11:18Z")
Our dog quickly figured out we were controlling it and how, but she didn’t care. Usually noses the bookshelf and points up to where the laser pointer is kept to let us know when it’s time to play with it (which is most days). ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2019, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-met-a-cat-that-learnt-what-a-laser-pointer-is/831442/33 "2019-03-25T15:22:29Z")
My one remaining cat loves to chase the little red dot, and she understands that it comes from the laser pointer. When she’s in the mood to play, she stands up by the table where the pointer is, and moves it closer to me. Time to play! My other cat, who died last year, couldn’t have cared less. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2019, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-met-a-cat-that-learnt-what-a-laser-pointer-is/831442/34 "2019-03-25T15:25:28Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > Slightly off topic: [This video,](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wT37fAiH8TY) in which the orange cat comes to the realization that the black cat is in fact blind - and then deliberately sneaks away as quietly as possible. It is not certain that the cat in the video realizes that the other cat is blind. When two cats face off in a scrap and one of them wants to disengage, it will, very slowly and deliberately like in the video, back off and put some distance between it and the other cat. Any sudden move and the dominant cat will pounce. It is for this reason that signs warning you about pumas or leopards tell you to back away slowly; turning around to run for it would be the last mistake you ever make. ---
**Author:** ![Carryon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9fc29f/32.png) [@Carryon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carryon)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2019, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-met-a-cat-that-learnt-what-a-laser-pointer-is/831442/35 "2019-03-25T17:26:01Z")
But I don’t think they’d give up, if they figured it out. I mean I had a cat who knew the wigging “thing” under the blanket was my finger, but she attacked it anyway. She loved to attack any fingers under a blanket. ---
**Author:** ![Bookkeeper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bookkeeper/32/281_2.png) [@Bookkeeper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bookkeeper)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2019, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-met-a-cat-that-learnt-what-a-laser-pointer-is/831442/36 "2019-03-25T17:34:37Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > None of my previous cats had any interest in the laser pointer, but my current cat LOVES it. She knows I’m in control of the device. She comes running when she hears the sound of it jangle on the tabletop. She knew I was keeping it on the tabletop and would toss it to the floor in order to get me to play with it. Then she figured out I started keeping it in a small box on the tabletop and starting pushing _that_ onto the floor. Now I hide it where she can’t find it, so she goes to the tabletop where it used to be and starts methodically pushing everything off it until I pay attention and get it out. > > Then, when we play laser pointer, she will only play ON the living room rug. She refuses to stop onto the floor. She will only run back and forth along the rug, no matter how hard I try to trick her into running off the edge. Don’t you know that the floor is lava? ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2019, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-met-a-cat-that-learnt-what-a-laser-pointer-is/831442/37 "2019-03-25T17:54:47Z")
> [@DPRK](#): > > It is not certain that the cat in the video realizes that the other cat is blind. When two cats face off in a scrap and one of them wants to disengage, it will, very slowly and deliberately like in the video, back off and put some distance between it and the other cat. Any sudden move and the dominant cat will pounce. It is for this reason that signs warning you about pumas or leopards tell you to back away slowly; turning around to run for it would be the last mistake you ever make. Fair point - and I have actually seen two neighborhood cats engaged in the sort of behavior you described; it was like one cat suddenly realized he had made a terrible mistake and was looking to extract himself from the fray as gingerly as possible. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2019, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-met-a-cat-that-learnt-what-a-laser-pointer-is/831442/38 "2019-03-25T18:04:42Z")
I had one cat who figured out that we were controlling the laser pointer - evidenced by the fact that she would look directly at your hand every time she heard the button - but she didn’t care, and chased the dot around like the other cats did. I find it interesting that no cat I’ve ever owned would chase the dot if you pointed it onto another cat’s fur. I never could tell if that was because they couldn’t see it on fur, or didn’t want to get into a cat fight over it. Bonus tip: _do not_ use a laser pointer with tropical fish (I’ve heard some goldfish like it, though). It scares the shit out of them and they swim into the tank walls trying to escape it. Poor fish, fortunately we’ve never done that again. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2019, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-met-a-cat-that-learnt-what-a-laser-pointer-is/831442/39 "2019-03-25T18:28:01Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > Bonus tip: _do not_ use a laser pointer with tropical fish (I’ve heard some goldfish like it, though). It scares the shit out of them and they swim into the tank walls trying to escape it. Poor fish, fortunately we’ve never done that again. They don’t like catnip mice, either. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2019, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-met-a-cat-that-learnt-what-a-laser-pointer-is/831442/40 "2019-03-25T18:40:06Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > Then, when we play laser pointer, she will only play ON the living room rug. She refuses to stop onto the floor. She will only run back and forth along the rug, no matter how hard I try to trick her into running off the edge. This reminds me of one time I tried to get my sister’s cat in trouble. I was moving the laser pointer around as usual, and the cat was having great fun chasing it. Right up until I pointed the dot at my sister’s socked feet. The cat stopped dead, just staring at the dot, refusing to pounce on her feet. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-met-a-cat-that-learnt-what-a-laser-pointer-is/831442.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-met-a-cat-that-learnt-what-a-laser-pointer-is/831442.md?page=3)