The idle musings of a former military man, former computer geek, medically retired pastor and now full-time writer. Contents guaranteed to offend the politically correct and anal-retentive from time to time. My approach to life is that it should be taken with a large helping of laughter, and sufficient firepower to keep it tamed!
Sunday, July 31, 2016
Simon's Cat is at it again . . .
. . . this time with a laser pointer.
Our cat doesn't particularly like laser pointers - at least, she doesn't chase them much. Bottle tops, on the other hand . . .
Mine have varying reactions. Huckleberry loves chasing the little green dot around at high speed; on occasion, this has resulted in nasty scratches on my foot. He recognizes the specific cylindrical object that projects the dot, and gets all wound up when he sees me holding it. Top Hat chases the dot in moderation, but doesn't find it all that exciting. Southmoon will sometimes chase the dot a little, but is much more interested in the dust particles drifting through the beam. She'll stand halfway between me and the dot, stare upward, and try to snag the sparklies. Side note: I noticed long ago that cats were not as likely to respond to early-model laser pointers as to helium-neon lasers, and suspected that this was related to the longer wavelength of the laser diodes. It does appear that their sensitivity falls off rapidly beyond 600nm, so if your cat is ignoring a particular red laser pointer, a different model with a shorter wavelength might (perhaps) change that.
A long time ago, I had a cat that played with bottle caps. She would return them to anyone who would toss them, for more action.
One day my father's dog surprised her, and she ran up the kitchen wall (not wood, maybe wallboard?). She stopped near the ceiling. I had to get a chair to peel her loose. All black Siamese, not a single white hair anywhere.
It brings a smile... :-)
ReplyDeleteMy 80 pound German Shepherd *loves* the laser pointer.
ReplyDeleteI have a 14 year old tom that turns into a kitten when the laser goes on.
ReplyDeleteMine have varying reactions.
ReplyDeleteHuckleberry loves chasing the little green dot around at high speed; on occasion, this has resulted in nasty scratches on my foot. He recognizes the specific cylindrical object that projects the dot, and gets all wound up when he sees me holding it.
Top Hat chases the dot in moderation, but doesn't find it all that exciting.
Southmoon will sometimes chase the dot a little, but is much more interested in the dust particles drifting through the beam. She'll stand halfway between me and the dot, stare upward, and try to snag the sparklies.
Side note: I noticed long ago that cats were not as likely to respond to early-model laser pointers as to helium-neon lasers, and suspected that this was related to the longer wavelength of the laser diodes. It does appear that their sensitivity falls off rapidly beyond 600nm, so if your cat is ignoring a particular red laser pointer, a different model with a shorter wavelength might (perhaps) change that.
A long time ago, I had a cat that played with bottle caps. She would return them to anyone who would toss them, for more action.
ReplyDeleteOne day my father's dog surprised her, and she ran up the kitchen wall (not wood, maybe wallboard?). She stopped near the ceiling. I had to get a chair to peel her loose. All black Siamese, not a single white hair anywhere.
Our cat used to love wine bottle corks. You could throw them and he'd chase them, kill them and often bring them back to be thrown again.
ReplyDelete