Surely many owners of our furry pets are wondering: are laser pointers bad or good for cats?
This is a very valid question. And you will get the answer when you know a little bit about the nature of cats and what drives them. After all, it’s great to know more about such an adorable, and predatory animal living in your home, right?
Since we are owners of these beautiful animals (“3 guys”), we also have our take on playing with a laser pointer.
And yes, we’re getting ahead of ourselves by saying that we too have laser pointers and play with them with our cats. All we have to do is follow some rules. And that’s what we’re going to talk about today.
So, let’s find out if you can play with a laser pointer with your furry friend 🐱.
We’d like to point out that this article is a bit big – because we tried to put in as many facts and practical observations about laser pointers when playing with cats as possible. We hope you will forgive us)
Let’s go!
Table of Content:
Like so many other cat-related things discussed, we shouldn’t approach the harm or usefulness of laser pointers in a one-sided (black-or-white) way.
Many cats love to chase this red dot because it is fast, randomly moving, and resembles one of the cats’ favorite victims: flying or crawling insects. We immediately think of the full house we get when any fly, gnat, or other insect flies into the house…..
Laser pointers motivate your cat to run, jump on the wall and into the air, and provide exercise …. plus, it’s fun for them and us – because we love watching them so much.
Laser pointer games can provide much-needed exercise just for those cats that don’t get enough exercise.
That’s exactly what we have going on!
In addition, hunting the laser pointer may be a form of mental stimulation that cats are lacking if they are not allowed to “hunt” on a regular basis.
Of course, this is characteristic of all animals that live exclusively in domestic conditions. After all, where can they hunt a mouse in the apartment?
The photo is of our blue Abyssinian cat getting intently acquainted with a laser pointer 💡 !
The hunt for the dot from the laser pointer is all about mental strategy, which is great for keeping your kitty’s mind active and healthy.
So, there are many positive reasons to incorporate a laser pointer into your pet’s play routine, as long as they enjoy chasing (or just watching) it.
We have noticed that some people have a rather negative attitude toward playing with a laser pointer.
The proof of this is a lot of articles and different opinions on the internet.
So what are the considerations of opponents of playing laser pointer games with cats? Let’s try to list them and deal with them in detail in our materials.
Let’s find out where the myth is and where the truth is! And to start with a little infographic.
Here’s a little theory on what a laser pointer is, what types they come in, and how they work.
Interesting from Murmeo! The word “LASER” is short for “Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation”.
A laser pointer is a small (usually battery-powered) laser device designed to aim at objects by illuminating them with a collimated visible laser beam.
In short, a laser pointer is usually used to highlight something important.
It runs on an energy source powering a laser diode, which then emits a low-power beam of visible light.
Most laser pointers, especially the cheap ones, contain:
What does the color of the laser depend on – you ask? The answer is really simple. It all depends on the visible spectrum (wavelength) in which your pointer operates.
Laser pointers come in the following colors:
And we are gradually approaching the issue of the safety of laser pointers. It should be noted that, as usual, we refer only to confirmed scientific materials and facts.
Lasers are classified according to their ability to cause injury, especially to the eye. Since it is the eye that is most sensitive to excessive laser radiation.
So, IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission) talks about the following safety classes of lasers:
| Class | Safety level |
|---|---|
| Class 1 | Very low risk; “safe with reasonably foreseeable use,” including the use of optical instruments to view inside the beam. |
| Class 1M | Safe without optics or means of viewing. |
| Class 2 | Visible laser; safe for accidental exposure. |
| Class 2M | Visible laser; may be potentially harmful when viewed through an optical instrument. |
| Class 3R | Not safe; low risk. |
| Class 3B | It is dangerous but safe to view the reflection of light from surfaces. |
| Class 4 | Dangerous; unsafe to view light reflections from surfaces; risk of fire. |
Some low-quality laser pointers may be misclassified.
This may especially be the case with low-quality fakes. Such laser pointers may have a higher power than intended, which can be dangerous if used incorrectly.
As you can see from the classification above, the first two classes of lasers are relatively safe for eye exposure; the last two are dangerous.
The chart below shows that the risk of eye injury increases with increasing laser power.
To find out how safe your laser pointer is, you need to determine its class.
The class of the laser must be indicated on the packaging or on the pointer itself. Keep in mind, it is best to avoid lasers that do not have any identifying marks.
It is known that extensive research has been done on how the eye reacts to laser light. This has resulted in the creation of a number of safety standards and concepts for lasers.
These say how much laser light, at what wavelength, and for how long exposure to the laser is considered safe.
Much of this research has been conducted on primate eyes – they have a similar eye structure to humans.
However, we are not aware of any specific studies specifically for dogs, cats, birds, and other wildlife animals.
That is, it has not been reliably established whether animal eyes are more or less sensitive to laser light than human eyes.
It is known that some animals have much better night vision than humans. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that they are more sensitive to laser light.
After all, these animals also have a good daytime vision, which means they can tolerate high levels of sunlight, and therefore lasers.
For animal safety, the best advice is to simply keep the laser beams out of the animals’ eyes. You don’t shine it in your eyes either, do you?
Here is a bit of material on how an animal’s retina, pupil, and lens are similar to and/or different from the human retina.
Retina: Animal retinal tissue consists mainly of water – the same as in the human retina. The thermal limitations are likely to be similar. In other words, the same amount (illuminance) of laser light that can cause damage to the human retina is also likely to cause similar damage to the animal retina.
Lens: The focusing ability of the human eye is probably no worse than that of most animals. However, some animals may have better vision (resolution). This may be due to the large number of cones in the retina, following the example of more pixels on a screen.
Pupil diameter: an animal with a larger pupil than a human would be able to transmit more light, but only if the diameter of the laser beam is larger than the pupil diameter. Obviously, if the laser beam is very narrow, such as 2 or 3 mm wide, all the light will enter the pupil. Whether the diameter is 7 mm, as in a dark-adapted human, or 12.5 mm, as in a dark-adapted cat.
But if the laser beam is wide, say 13 mm, the cat’s pupil will transmit more of that laser’s light than the human pupil.
Finally, the animal retina is likely to have the same sensitivity to laser light as the human eye. The main difference is that the larger the pupil, the more light (laser light) can enter it. Which is quite logical.
And we are gradually moving on to analyzing the existing opinions regarding the danger of laser pointers for cats.
Opinion 1
To conclude the discussion on laser pointer safety, we would like to mention the following.
Many owners ask whether laser pointers are harmful to cats’ eyes. And what happens if that red beam gets into the cat’s eyes?
We all know that shining a laser into someone’s eyes is not a good idea at all. It doesn’t matter if it’s cats, dogs, people, or other animals.
But if the laser power is between 1 and 5 milliwatts (the range of most pet toy lasers), they’re pretty safe (but still don’t shine them in your eyes!).
And yes, buy a pointer exclusively with a red-colored beam – we covered that above.
When buying this device, please pay attention to the “safe for pets” label or label, as well as the wattage of the laser pointer. It’s always better to be over-insured than sorry!
Opinion 2
It is noted that some cats may not behave normally during and after playing with the laser.
They may fidget in one place, run around your home in search of a victim in the form of a red dot, and cannot calm down for a long time after the game.
There may also be a certain fixation on the laser pointer for a long time after the game is over. For example, the cat may sit near the place where the laser is lying or hidden and wait for another game.
Naturally, if you notice this behavior in your pet, we can talk about several possible options:
There may be other options, but we are not aware of them yet. Do you have any thoughts on this?
So, of course, if you observe inappropriate intrusiveness when playing with a laser pointer, it makes sense to use only tangibles (mouse, balls, teasers) for play.
We play with our cats and have never had these issues. We hope you will be fine with this item as well.
Opinion 3
This is a very rhetorical question and the answer depends on you 😊!
If you aim the laser beam at traumatic objects, furniture, or anything else, then of course the chance of injury to your cat will increase significantly.
If you shine the beam on a tall cabinet, the back of an unstable chair, or a stool, the problem is clearly not the pointer, but the one who controls it. Of course, your defenseless pet may injure itself in a fit of play.
Never aim the laser dot at rickety or tall structures in your home.
It will be enough to drive the laser beam on the floor or wall, a little higher than your cat’s height so that he can reach it when he becomes full height.
And of course, if your cat loses its head when playing with the laser pointer, it’s best to stop playing with it.
Opinion 4
The answer to this question lies in the psychology of cats as natural hunters.
Experts in cat behavior say that a cat that can’t catch its prey even once during a hunting session can be very disappointed.
Of course, if your cat fails to catch that red dot from the laser for the 100500th time, her interest in such a game will diminish with each time.
And the point of chasing her if no prey is in sight 😿.
However, there are still options to play with a laser pointer. Read our reasoning further….
To answer the question of whether a laser pointer dot is suitable for prey, it is important to understand something about the prey sequence.
This is actually the sequence of actions that each cat performs when hunting for prey.
Outdoor cats spend about 30% of their time hunting and eat about 8 -10 small meals a day, so they hunt MUCH!
They are among nature’s most efficient predators, but feral “domestic” cats still only catch (on average) about 32% of the prey they hunt.
The prey sequence in cats consists of four steps:
When cats hunt, they walk back and forth in the direction of their prey until the prey escapes or dies, and they decide it’s a good time to eat (or that the prey can be brought to their owners’ bedside).
So now it’s time to answer just one question:
Observation and watching closely. Of course, think of those ears sticking out from around the corner.
Stalking and chasing… yep. They’re perfectly capable of running after that red dot from the laser pointer.
Attack and capture. And here’s where things get tricky. Yes, the cat may pounce on the pointer point, but it will not be able to grab it physically.
Execution of the killing bite. At this step, the cat also has “no options” so to speak – bringing the prey obviously won’t work.
Thus, the laser pointer is great for engaging your kitty, at least in the first two steps of the prey sequence. The second half of the game, on the other hand, may leave your cat frustrated and unsatisfied.
An alternative option might be a wand toy. This is really the only type of toy that can perform all four steps of the prey sequence.
We are dealing with biological instincts that have evolved in cats over thousands of years to ensure their survival!
So when the red dot at the end of the game session disappears, your cat will be left wondering where the loot went 🙀.
Naturally, your pet may be a little disappointed with such a game and its results.
Some time ago, automatic laser pointers for cats appeared on the market.
And indeed, they can be useful when you don’t have time to play with your cat Although, why should you have such a beautiful friend if you don’t give him time – well, that’s just rhetorical reasoning.
Unfortunately, we have no experience in using this type of pointer, so we will give the opinions of experts in cat behavior.
It is noted that the use of automatic laser pointers also has its place but with some nuances.
One thing that is certain is that your cat will not be able to catch prey in the form of a red dot – the cat will get frustration and upset.
However, do not be too upset, because not every hunt in nature ends successfully.
It will be enough if you give him a chance to experience the euphoria of physical prey the next time you play – end the game with a mouse, teaser, or ball.
Most importantly, be sure to have such a session so that the game ends with a tangible result for the cat.
Opinion 5
We believe this opinion to be correct with a high percentage of probability.
Indeed, in some cases, laser pointers can be harmful or even dangerous for cats.
If a cat has any heart or blood pressure problems, it is not recommended that they be given very intense exercise or allowed to fidget.
It is worth bearing in mind that the major words here are “very intense”.
Tip from Murmeo! One of our cats is overweight and we realize that very active and long exercise may not be desirable. However, 5 or 10 minutes of running after the laser pointer is definitely not a bad idea
If we, as pet owners, are responsible for the cat’s health and correctly assess the style and intensity of the game, we can decide for ourselves whether it is useful or harmful to play with a laser pointer.
You have to give your cat what he likes. And if your pet loves to play with the laser pointer, go for it!
We dare to suggest exactly the right approach to playing with a laser pointer so that your cat gets a complete play session from watching to capturing prey:
And of course, we would like to cite our practical observations when we play with our cats with a laser pointer.
Let’s remind that we have three animals and the most interesting thing is that each of them reacts absolutely differently to the game with a laser beam.
Let’s dwell a little more on our favorites.
And what do we have here?
All our pets have absolutely different preferences and attitude to laser pointers. And what suits you will have to determine only experimentally – just buy a laser and try the game 🎲.
To summarize the information regarding laser pointer games, let’s try to summarize all the information into a simple comparison table.
| Opinion | Threat level | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Immediate threat from the laser beam to the eye (retina) of cats. | The threat is low. The threat is practically non-existent if the correct class of pointer is used and basic safety precautions are observed. |
| 2 | Strong excitement and engagement with pointer play to the point of addiction and severe obsession. | The threat is low. Depends on the psychological state of your pet. We don’t think most cats can suffer from this. |
| 3 | The danger of physical injuries during active play (sprains, falls from heights, etc.). | The threat is low. Depends on the owner of the animal and the manner of playing with the cat. |
| 4 | Frustration of playing with the laser because the beam cannot be physically caught and feel the satisfaction of the prey. | The threat is medium. Yes, it can be. However, if you alternate playing with the laser pointer with physical toys like mice, teasers, or balls, the cat will be satisfied. |
| 5 | A health risk to those animals with cardiovascular disease (“so that the heart doesn’t stop from very active play”). | The threat is medium. Yes, it can be. When cats are ill, very intensive physical activity is not recommended (5-10 minutes of play will be enough). |
We hope we’ve answered your questions about whether laser pointers can be played with cats and how safe it is.
Bottom line: if your cat likes that red funny dot, then use this game to its fullest!
However, you should always supplement such fun with some sort of physical object that your cat can use to complete the prey sequence.
Also, I’d like to mention that laser pointer games can be used when adapting a kitten and are recommended to take on the road with your cat.
And yes, keep an eye on your cat’s health – this fact can also be a bit of a limitation when playing with laser pointers.
And that’s all for today!
If you liked our discussion about the benefits (harms) of laser pointers for cats, the best thanks to us will be if you share the link to the article with your “cat moms and cat dads” ❤️.
Murmeo link to the article: https://murmeo.com/en/are-laser-pointers-bad-for-cats/