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This is exactly the kind of thing the internet was made to share for. Made me lol. But I can‘t help thinking that the cat will eventually get bored of the fish
by danhau 1y ago
This is exactly the kind of thing the internet was made to share for. Made me lol. But I can‘t help thinking that the cat will eventually get bored of the fish it can‘t eat, and the you end up with a weird looking aquarium.
- bmacho 1y agoThis is exactly the kind of content HN tries to avoid, funny cat content.
- ngruhn 1y agoTrue :P On the other hand, laser pointers seem endlessly entertaining.
- ndsipa_pomu 1y agoI've heard that excessive laser pointer chasing is cruel as the cat activates their hunting instinct, but is never able to catch it leading to a build up of frustration.
- latexr 1y agoCan confirm, both from experience and consulting with veterinaries. Don’t play with cats with laser pointers. Had one cat who became so obsessed (and we didn’t even play that long) that for years afterwards would react to any light reflection, like the sun bouncing of the phone screen and onto the wall. Thankfully it subsided significantly later in life, but it took a lot of care and vigilance.
- quesera 1y agoI suspect this is bunk -- the vast majority of feline stalking sessions in nature are unsuccessful, and these are often motivated by hunger, so failure is more meaningful than it would be for a domestic cat. Also, how does one measure feline frustration? Cortisol levels? Brain activity? Is it distinguishable from the stress/excitement of the hunt? Regardless, my approach has been to start by putting together one of those 3V lithium battery LED assemblies, wrapping it up in clear tape, and hiding it under the dog bed. This takes about 30 seconds of preparation. Then I run the cats around with the laser pointer for a few minutes, and finally let them watch the dot "hide" under the dog bed, so that they reach in and pull out their prize. Which they then attack for a few seconds, but lose interest in pretty quickly, because it doesn't run away or smell edible. But their predator success desire is met, I think. This chase-catch-abandon cycle is their MO for flying bugs and mice as well, FWIW. They seem to enjoy it, although I am not sure it's any easier to measure feline pleasure than feline frustration.
- willseth 1y agoOur vet told us it is far more important that house cats get exercise than any potential frustration caused by a laser pointer.
- latexr 1y agoI’m reporting on the behaviour, which has also been confirmed to me as something which does happen by a veterinarian specialising in feline behaviour, I’m not discussing its reasons on a biological level.
- ModernMech 1y agoI feel this is just a cat being a cat. Cats are hardwired to chase any small thing moving quickly. Their eyes are great at detecting contrast, and a bright light has a lot of contrast to interest a cat. They chase it because they don't really understand it's not prey and just a reflection. That the cat lost interest as it got older is perhaps it just being old and less exuberant.
- latexr 1y agoNot this cat. It was an obvious behavioural change from before. Additionally, siblings in the same house didn’t exhibit the behaviour. It got better with old age in the sense the cat started giving up sooner after we hid the light, but there was no loss of energy or other changes.
- doright 1y agoMy understanding is this is 100% true for dogs but not for cats, and the reason for the difference in level of obsession is unclear.
- mikestew 1y agoWe’ve got a rescue dog like that, reflections off watches or whatever (including kitchen baking sheets). It genuinely distresses him. Dog was seven years old when we got him, probably no fixing it now, but we do try to mitigate things as best we can. In his particular case, his hunting instinct doesn’t help, I’m sure. He’s a pit bull, but that speckled neck and feet tells me that there’s some Spaniel in there somewhere.
- gliptic 1y agoThis doesn't really make sense to me. Most cats I've known react to such reflections without ever having seen a laser pointer in their life, for the same reason they react to laser pointers.
- latexr 1y agoThis cat didn’t.
- secretsatan 1y agoThat’s def not the laser, most cats will play with light reflections if they’ve seen a laser pointer or, i did this as a kid pre laser pointer age. I would say the laser pointer at least works without sunlight.
- latexr 1y agoThe cat wasn’t like that with reflections before the play with the laser. And siblings in the same house never cared for reflections.
- noir_lord 1y agoPlace a treat out the way but where you can hit it with the laser, play with them for 10-15 and then point it at the treat and as the cat arrives kill the laser.
- tim333 1y agoCat's have remarkable persistence at watching potential prey. I don't think ours ever stopped taking an interest.