# Laser pointers and cats **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 6, 2006, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laser-pointers-and-cats/363287 "2006-07-06T00:27:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**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:** [July 6, 2006, 11:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laser-pointers-and-cats/363287/21 "2006-07-06T11:27:32Z")
Of course there’s a danger. Your cat can get addicted to it. Pretty soon they’re out on street corners, selling flashlights to support their habit, and breaking into optics labs to get their own lasers. Eventually they get tired of low-output class IV semiconductor lasers, and they start going after bigger thrills. First Helium-Neon, then Argon-Ion and Krypton-Ion. Before you know it they’re mainlining dye lasers and trying to score OPO’s over the internet using stolen credit cards. Police in Maryland cracked a cat ring that was operating an Excimer Laser, using illegal Fluorine. ---
**Author:** ![scott62](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea5d25/32.png) [@scott62](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scott62)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2006, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laser-pointers-and-cats/363287/22 "2006-07-06T12:55:13Z")
> [@Tuckerfan](#): > > It will if you buy one of [these!](http://wickedlasers.com/) :evil grin: My wife says I can’t have one. :mad: ---
**Author:** ![davenportavenger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/5f8ce5/32.png) [@davenportavenger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davenportavenger)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2006, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laser-pointers-and-cats/363287/23 "2006-07-06T13:30:14Z")
There are GREEN lasers now? When did that happen? BTW, does anyone know where I’d be able to buy a laser pointer (preferably not online)? I searched for one for my cat at Target but they didn’t have any; my mom said they stopped selling them as much because of the retina thing. I remember they used to be all over the place when I was in high school. ---
**Author:** ![Man\_With\_a\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cab0a1/32.png) [@Man\_With\_a\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Man_With_a_Cat)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2006, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laser-pointers-and-cats/363287/24 "2006-07-06T13:44:50Z")
Look at Office Max, or Office Depot. I use mine all the time with the cats, they react now just to the sound of the keychain the pointer hangs on. Scarlett, bless her little dumb soul, will spend hours sitting in front of the last place she saw the dot disappear to. I like to finish her play session by pointing it under the couch, or at a crack between pieces of the entertainment center, then switch it off. ---
**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:** [July 6, 2006, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laser-pointers-and-cats/363287/25 "2006-07-06T13:46:52Z")
> [@](#): > > There are GREEN lasers now? When did that happen? A few years ago. It’s really a near infrared laser run through a very wefficient doubling crystal. You haven’t seen them before this because they’ve been ridiculously expensive, but the price is coming down. A friend of mine, who used to be at Bell Labs, bought two and dissected one (hey, Bell Labs was paying for it). Inside the thin tube was a _very_ thin doubling crystal and a _very_ thin semiconductor laser module. Alomost all of that pointer tube is taken up by the batteries. The green pointer lasers are often as powerful as the red pointers, but appear _mich_ brighter because the green lasing wavelength is much closer to the peak eye response than the red laser pointers are. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2006, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laser-pointers-and-cats/363287/26 "2006-07-06T14:15:07Z")
There are also blue lasers now… ! Blerdy expensive though. ---
**Author:** ![Man\_With\_a\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cab0a1/32.png) [@Man\_With\_a\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Man_With_a_Cat)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2006, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laser-pointers-and-cats/363287/27 "2006-07-06T14:20:35Z")
The GREEN! The GREEN!!! Where can I get the GREEN??? ---
**Author:** ![UncleRojelio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unclerojelio/32/3160_2.png) [@UncleRojelio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleRojelio)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2006, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laser-pointers-and-cats/363287/28 "2006-07-06T14:24:58Z")
> [@Mr Bus Guy](#): > > The GREEN! The GREEN!!! > > Where can I get the GREEN??? You have to have the green to get the green. ---
**Author:** ![scott62](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea5d25/32.png) [@scott62](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scott62)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2006, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laser-pointers-and-cats/363287/29 "2006-07-06T14:33:05Z")
> [@davenportavenger](#): > > There are GREEN lasers now? When did that happen? > > BTW, does anyone know where I’d be able to buy a laser pointer (preferably not online)? I searched for one for my cat at Target but they didn’t have any; my mom said they stopped selling them as much because of the retina thing. I remember they used to be all over the place when I was in high school. I know you said not online but check out these prices… very impressive [http://www.blueskymarketing.co.uk/laser\_pointer/index.html](http://www.blueskymarketing.co.uk/laser_pointer/index.html) ---
**Author:** ![davenportavenger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/5f8ce5/32.png) [@davenportavenger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davenportavenger)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2006, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laser-pointers-and-cats/363287/30 "2006-07-06T14:42:51Z")
Thanks for the info. Also, Google ads: Confess anonymously here Find a girlfriend now Your relationship is over Will your ex be back? WTF? ---
**Author:** ![Absolute](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b2d939/32.png) [@Absolute](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Absolute)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2006, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laser-pointers-and-cats/363287/31 "2006-07-06T14:43:38Z")
If you can find yourself (or have) a Class II laser pointer, you don’t have to worry about shining it in your cat’s eyes, because the power is too low to do damage (the blink reflex will protect them). Usually there’s a sticker on them that will tell you what their rating is. Most laser pointers I’ve seen are Class IIIa, which you do have to be careful with. As for green lasers, a friend of mine has a 30mw (Class IIIb) green laser. Nasty little thing! I threatened to bend it in half if he ever turns it on indoors with me in the room. It’s very cool outside, though. You can see the beam in the air, very brightly, even on dry days. ---
**Author:** ![TheBoneyKingofNowhere](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@TheBoneyKingofNowhere](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheBoneyKingofNowhere)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2006, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laser-pointers-and-cats/363287/32 "2006-07-06T15:39:48Z")
Am I the only one that feels guilty using it? My cat is out of control, and the sign of the dot made him go bezerk trying to “catch” it. After I turned off the laser, he continued scanning the point on the wall where he had seen it last… then even later on he was still doing it. I guess I feel a bit bad because there’s nothing there to actually “catch” . . . ? OK, probalby just me. ---
**Author:** ![davenportavenger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/5f8ce5/32.png) [@davenportavenger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davenportavenger)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2006, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laser-pointers-and-cats/363287/33 "2006-07-06T15:52:52Z")
> [@TheBoneyKingofNowhere](#): > > Am I the only one that feels guilty using it? My cat is out of control, and the sign of the dot made him go bezerk trying to “catch” it. After I turned off the laser, he continued scanning the point on the wall where he had seen it last… then even later on he was still doing it. I guess I feel a bit bad because there’s nothing there to actually “catch” . . . ? OK, probalby just me. When I play flashlight with my cat I always give him a treat afterwards so he feels like he’s “earned” something for his madd hunting skillz. I don’t think they really care that it’s just a light. Organisms get a little stir crazy when they’re cooped up in the house all day, anything for a distraction. ---
**Author:** ![Lightnin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightnin/32/180_2.png) [@Lightnin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightnin)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2006, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laser-pointers-and-cats/363287/34 "2006-07-06T16:29:05Z")
Two of my three dogs love The Red Dot. The third, by the way, is happy just chasing the other two dogs as _they_ chase The Red Dot. He’s always been more of a follower than a leader. I have to be pretty careful when we play with it in the house- they’ll run smack into walls if I’m not careful. It should be a lot of fun when we move into the new house… dogs on wood floors is always funny, so adding a laser pointer into the mix should make for even more excitement. ---
**Author:** ![Will\_Repair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a698b9/32.png) [@Will\_Repair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Will_Repair)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2006, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laser-pointers-and-cats/363287/35 "2006-07-06T16:41:50Z")
> [@TheBoneyKingofNowhere](#): > > My cat is out of control, and the sign of the dot made him go bezerk trying to “catch” it. I used to string the toy mouse from the overhead fan for the late great Jumpie The Warehouse Cat. Now I’m thinking of patenting a cat laser attached to motors and controlled via a computer with a random number generator. ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2006, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laser-pointers-and-cats/363287/36 "2006-07-06T16:47:03Z")
Mr. Neville uses a laser pointer to lure Luna out of the recliner when she’s lying there and he wants to sit there. It’s one of the few toys that really interests Luna, so we use it with her a fair bit (she needs the exercise). Katya has jumped 5 1/2 feet up to catch the laser bug. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2006, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laser-pointers-and-cats/363287/37 "2006-07-06T17:21:15Z")
> [@davenportavenger](#): > > There are GREEN lasers now? When did that happen? > > BTW, does anyone know where I’d be able to buy a laser pointer (preferably not online)? Office Max has them. Ours carries them behind the camera counter, so you have to ask for one. (They were losing too many to shoplifting.) Staples carries them, but I have only seen the expensive “executive” models, there. The other place that reliably has them is the local “dollar store” where a yellow package with four “shape” filters is being sold all the time. ---
**Author:** ![dmatsch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3be4f8/32.png) [@dmatsch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dmatsch)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2006, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laser-pointers-and-cats/363287/38 "2006-07-06T17:37:57Z")
I once played with my cat with a phased plasma rifle in the 40-watt range. Just once, Bobby. I still miss both halves of him, the poor fellow. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2006, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laser-pointers-and-cats/363287/39 "2006-07-06T18:07:00Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > There are also blue lasers now… ! Blerdy expensive though. Do they have grape lasers? ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2006, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laser-pointers-and-cats/363287/40 "2006-07-06T18:43:56Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > There are also blue lasers now… ! Blerdy expensive though. I read on wiki that some Russians are trying to develop a _purple_ laser. I noticed if you shine it in the mirror, or on a reflector surface (like my brass vanity table), you get a multiple effect. **davenportavenger** , mine was bought from [ThinkGeek.Com](http://www.thinkgeek.com/index.shtml). It’s also a [pen and a PDA stylus](http://www.thinkgeek.com/gadgets/lights/581b/). (I could spend all day there-they have lightsabers!) Mostly what I’m worried about is the cat looking into the laser when I’m trying to point at the wall-I’m not shining it in their eyes, but Misty was watching ME play with it at first. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laser-pointers-and-cats/363287.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laser-pointers-and-cats/363287.md?page=3)