Laser Pointers?

A couple of questions about laser pointers.

My Samba loves to chase the red dot on my laser pointer; I typically let her
chase it for 5 or 10 minutes a day during play time. However, I'd like some
guidance on a couple of points.

1. Is it safe to use laser pointers with cats? I understand that it is
actually a *crime* in some countries (like the UK) to point a laser pointer
at a person and you can even do jail time for it. This was apparently
prompted by real incidents where someone had their vision damaged or
destroyed by someone else deliberately pointing a laser pointer at them. I'm
very careful not to point my laser at Samba but she occasionally steps into
the beam for a second or two before I move it away. I haven't seen any ill
effects from this brief exposure but I'd like to be as safe as I possibly
can.

2. Is anyone aware of a model of laser pointer that has good battery life?
The pointer I got was only $10 at a pet store and it eats batteries faster
than I would like. It also uses somewhat expensive batteries (three small
watch batteries). If I could find a pointer that goes through batteries more
slowly - or even a rechargeable one if there is such a thing - it would save
me some money in the long run. But it is just a cat toy so I don't want to
spend big money!

--
Rhino

As long as you don't focus it at the eye for a long period more than about
5 seconds No problems it is like use getting a bright flash
I don't know what type of stores they have out there But I bought a business
laser pointer from an office depot for $12 made by opcom I have had it for 3
years now and never changed the battery it takes 2 AA anything that uses
multiple watch batteries will eat them up


"Rhino" wrote in message
. ..
A couple of questions about laser pointers.

My Samba loves to chase the red dot on my laser pointer; I typically let
her chase it for 5 or 10 minutes a day during play time. However, I'd like
some guidance on a couple of points.

1. Is it safe to use laser pointers with cats? I understand that it is
actually a *crime* in some countries (like the UK) to point a laser
pointer at a person and you can even do jail time for it. This was
apparently prompted by real incidents where someone had their vision
damaged or destroyed by someone else deliberately pointing a laser pointer
at them. I'm very careful not to point my laser at Samba but she
occasionally steps into the beam for a second or two before I move it
away. I haven't seen any ill effects from this brief exposure but I'd like
to be as safe as I possibly can.

2. Is anyone aware of a model of laser pointer that has good battery life?
The pointer I got was only $10 at a pet store and it eats batteries faster
than I would like. It also uses somewhat expensive batteries (three small
watch batteries). If I could find a pointer that goes through batteries
more slowly - or even a rechargeable one if there is such a thing - it
would save me some money in the long run. But it is just a cat toy so I
don't want to spend big money!

--
Rhino

Excellent! I'm delighted to hear that the ones using AA batteries last much
longer than the watch-battery type.

I'm in Canada but we have Office Depot stores here so I'll see if I can find
some Opcom pointers there.

Rhino

"No More Retail" wrote in message
...
As long as you don't focus it at the eye for a long period more than
about 5 seconds No problems it is like use getting a bright flash
I don't know what type of stores they have out there But I bought a
business laser pointer from an office depot for $12 made by opcom I have
had it for 3 years now and never changed the battery it takes 2 AA
anything that uses multiple watch batteries will eat them up


"Rhino" wrote in message
. ..
A couple of questions about laser pointers.

My Samba loves to chase the red dot on my laser pointer; I typically let
her chase it for 5 or 10 minutes a day during play time. However, I'd
like some guidance on a couple of points.

1. Is it safe to use laser pointers with cats? I understand that it is
actually a *crime* in some countries (like the UK) to point a laser
pointer at a person and you can even do jail time for it. This was
apparently prompted by real incidents where someone had their vision
damaged or destroyed by someone else deliberately pointing a laser
pointer at them. I'm very careful not to point my laser at Samba but she
occasionally steps into the beam for a second or two before I move it
away. I haven't seen any ill effects from this brief exposure but I'd
like to be as safe as I possibly can.

2. Is anyone aware of a model of laser pointer that has good battery
life? The pointer I got was only $10 at a pet store and it eats batteries
faster than I would like. It also uses somewhat expensive batteries
(three small watch batteries). If I could find a pointer that goes
through batteries more slowly - or even a rechargeable one if there is
such a thing - it would save me some money in the long run. But it is
just a cat toy so I don't want to spend big money!

--
Rhino

"Diane" wrote in message
...
In article ,
"Rhino" wrote:

2. Is anyone aware of a model of laser pointer that has good battery
life?
The pointer I got was only $10 at a pet store and it eats batteries
faster
than I would like.

My ex-beau gave me a critter pointer that uses AA batteries and seems to
last.

Excellent! I was afraid the AA battery pointers would be just as short-lived
as the watch battery pointers but apparently I was wrong.

Just be careful where you aim. I'm not so much worried about getting my
cat in the eye, but I have inadvertently "made" him run into things like
door edges because I wasn't paying close attention or realising how
totally into it he can get. I'm more careful now.

Samba's pretty alert that way but I'll watch out anyway. She gets *very*
enthusiastic when she goes after that red dot :-)

Rhino

"Rhino" wrote in message
. ..
1. Is it safe to use laser pointers with cats?

Yes. Let common sense prevail. Be sure they have plenty of run-off and crash
space. They can at times be dangerously oblivious to their surroundings when
intensely engaged.

I understand that it is
actually a *crime* in some countries (like the UK) to point a laser
pointer
at a person and you can even do jail time for it. This was apparently
prompted by real incidents where someone had their vision damaged or
destroyed by someone else deliberately pointing a laser pointer at them.

Seems to me that casual damage at the hands of another, deliberate or not,
is quite unlikely. The degree of distraction would be enough to make one
move away long before damage could occur. However if pinned down and exposed
torture style....
I've never heard of anyone actually suffering damage from a laser exposure.
If someone is dense enough to stare into the beam for the duration it would
require to cause damage - they deserve it. Many sporting venues here have
local rules against possesion of lasers on their property - especially local
race tracks. Imagine the havoc caused if a driver of a 1300 lb, 850hp sprint
car were distracted by a laser in close quarters competition.

My own cats love a round of laser chase but I do have to watch for signs of
overdoing it. Some cats - even when dangerously fatigued - will still pursue
the little red dot. The 12 yr old girl from across the street has to be
monitored carefully as she would keep them running till they dropped if
permitted to. I've had to find new storage places for the laser when not in
use though. My two red toms got quite adept at jumping and knocking the
laser from the key rack hook I used to hang it on. And they are especially
attuned to the sound of the keychain it hangs on being moved. Anytime I want
to know where the cats are - just rattle the keychain a little.

"RobZip" wrote in message
m...

"Rhino" wrote in message
. ..
1. Is it safe to use laser pointers with cats?

Yes. Let common sense prevail. Be sure they have plenty of run-off and
crash
space. They can at times be dangerously oblivious to their surroundings
when
intensely engaged.

Yes, of course. Samba has had a near miss or two when she nearly crashed
into the open glass doors of the storage comparment in my TV stand while
chasing the laser. I try not to point the laser too close to the TV stand
now.

I understand that it is
actually a *crime* in some countries (like the UK) to point a laser
pointer
at a person and you can even do jail time for it. This was apparently
prompted by real incidents where someone had their vision damaged or
destroyed by someone else deliberately pointing a laser pointer at them.

Seems to me that casual damage at the hands of another, deliberate or not,
is quite unlikely. The degree of distraction would be enough to make one
move away long before damage could occur. However if pinned down and
exposed
torture style....
I've never heard of anyone actually suffering damage from a laser
exposure.
If someone is dense enough to stare into the beam for the duration it
would
require to cause damage - they deserve it. Many sporting venues here have
local rules against possesion of lasers on their property - especially
local
race tracks. Imagine the havoc caused if a driver of a 1300 lb, 850hp
sprint
car were distracted by a laser in close quarters competition.

There was a CSI Miami episode last year where someone brought down a small
private airplane (!) by shining a laser pointer into the pilot's eyes. I'm
inclined to dismiss that as Hollywood nonsense but for all I know, it is
based on a real-life case. I believe that at least one of the producers of
that show are former forensics experts so it might be something they
encountered in a real case or heard about from colleagues.

But I digress.... :-)

My own cats love a round of laser chase but I do have to watch for signs
of
overdoing it. Some cats - even when dangerously fatigued - will still
pursue
the little red dot. The 12 yr old girl from across the street has to be
monitored carefully as she would keep them running till they dropped if
permitted to.

How do you know that a cat is approaching its limits? I'm pretty sure that
Samba is sensible enough not to overdo it but it would be handy to have some
warning signs that I could watch for....

Samba usually runs after the pointer very fast for the first 30 seconds or
so, then she seems to realize that she has to pace herself and stops to
watch it more carefully and wait for an ideal opportunity to catch it.

I've had to find new storage places for the laser when not in
use though. My two red toms got quite adept at jumping and knocking the
laser from the key rack hook I used to hang it on. And they are especially
attuned to the sound of the keychain it hangs on being moved. Anytime I
want
to know where the cats are - just rattle the keychain a little.

I keep my laser in a drawer. (Sometimes, I even _close_ the drawer....).
Bebop loves to fish in the drawer for toys and pull things out but Samba
doesn't. Fortunately, Samba is the only one of the two who enjoys chasing
the laser so Bebop never disturbs it in the drawer.

But Samba clearly knows the laser when she hears it clinking on its
keychain; she always goes to the same place then: behind the TV. I don't
know why she waits there in particular, as opposed to some other place, but
I'm sure she has her reasons.

Honestly, I feel a little cruel showing her the laser beam sometimes. I know
she'll never "capture" it. I think/hope that she knows that it's just a game
and that I'm not actually tormenting her by showing her something she can't
possibly catch. Still, I wish I were 100% sure that I'm not just frustrating
her with it....

Rhino

In article ,
Rhino wrote:

"RobZip" wrote in message
om...

"Rhino" wrote in message
. ..
1. Is it safe to use laser pointers with cats?

Yes. Let common sense prevail. Be sure they have plenty of run-off and
crash
space. They can at times be dangerously oblivious to their surroundings
when
intensely engaged.

Yes, of course. Samba has had a near miss or two when she nearly crashed
into the open glass doors of the storage comparment in my TV stand while
chasing the laser. I try not to point the laser too close to the TV stand
now.

I understand that it is
actually a *crime* in some countries (like the UK) to point a laser
pointer
at a person and you can even do jail time for it. This was apparently
prompted by real incidents where someone had their vision damaged or
destroyed by someone else deliberately pointing a laser pointer at them.

Seems to me that casual damage at the hands of another, deliberate or not,
is quite unlikely. The degree of distraction would be enough to make one
move away long before damage could occur. However if pinned down and
exposed
torture style....
I've never heard of anyone actually suffering damage from a laser
exposure.
If someone is dense enough to stare into the beam for the duration it
would
require to cause damage - they deserve it. Many sporting venues here have
local rules against possesion of lasers on their property - especially
local
race tracks. Imagine the havoc caused if a driver of a 1300 lb, 850hp
sprint
car were distracted by a laser in close quarters competition.

There was a CSI Miami episode last year where someone brought down a small
private airplane (!) by shining a laser pointer into the pilot's eyes. I'm
inclined to dismiss that as Hollywood nonsense but for all I know, it is
based on a real-life case. I believe that at least one of the producers of
that show are former forensics experts so it might be something they
encountered in a real case or heard about from colleagues.

But I digress.... :-)

My own cats love a round of laser chase but I do have to watch for signs
of
overdoing it. Some cats - even when dangerously fatigued - will still
pursue
the little red dot. The 12 yr old girl from across the street has to be
monitored carefully as she would keep them running till they dropped if
permitted to.

How do you know that a cat is approaching its limits? I'm pretty sure that
Samba is sensible enough not to overdo it but it would be handy to have some
warning signs that I could watch for....

Samba usually runs after the pointer very fast for the first 30 seconds or
so, then she seems to realize that she has to pace herself and stops to
watch it more carefully and wait for an ideal opportunity to catch it.

I've had to find new storage places for the laser when not in
use though. My two red toms got quite adept at jumping and knocking the
laser from the key rack hook I used to hang it on. And they are especially
attuned to the sound of the keychain it hangs on being moved. Anytime I
want
to know where the cats are - just rattle the keychain a little.

I keep my laser in a drawer. (Sometimes, I even _close_ the drawer....).
Bebop loves to fish in the drawer for toys and pull things out but Samba
doesn't. Fortunately, Samba is the only one of the two who enjoys chasing
the laser so Bebop never disturbs it in the drawer.

But Samba clearly knows the laser when she hears it clinking on its
keychain; she always goes to the same place then: behind the TV. I don't
know why she waits there in particular, as opposed to some other place, but
I'm sure she has her reasons.

Honestly, I feel a little cruel showing her the laser beam sometimes. I know
she'll never "capture" it. I think/hope that she knows that it's just a game
and that I'm not actually tormenting her by showing her something she can't
possibly catch. Still, I wish I were 100% sure that I'm not just frustrating
her with it....


My local Walgreens had a 2/$5 special on cheap laser pointers so
I bought a couple for Bubba. It took him about 30 seconds to realize
he wasn't actually gonna catch the dot. Now he'll watch it intently
but can't be bothered to make a move to try to catch it...


Claude

The laser pointer is safe as long as it doesn't point at the cat's eyes.
The suggestion that up to 5 seconds is OK is incorrect. It should NEVER
be pointed at a cat's (or anyone's) eyes. My Tiger will chase it once
or twice before he loses interest. Amber couldn't care less about it.


---MIKE---
In the White Mountains of New Hampshire
(44° 15' N - Elevation 1580')

sorry that should have should have been half a moment .5 my mistake
"---MIKE---" wrote in message
...
The laser pointer is safe as long as it doesn't point at the cat's eyes.
The suggestion that up to 5 seconds is OK is incorrect. It should NEVER
be pointed at a cat's (or anyone's) eyes. My Tiger will chase it once
or twice before he loses interest. Amber couldn't care less about it.


---MIKE---
In the White Mountains of New Hampshire
(44° 15' N - Elevation 1580')

I but my lasers at the local dollar store. They last about six months
on the cheap little watch batts. One of my favorites is to have Reagan
chase the red dot around in circles.