Cats are hardwired to chase after moving objects. The minute they see something move, their little brains process that as prey. Consequently, they cannot resist going after it with everything they have.
Laser toys are designed with this in mind. When your kitty sees that tiny wiggly beam of light moving across the room, nothing else matters more than catching it.
Since the beam is pretty much ungraspable, your cat will run around for hours ultimately doing a killer workout and being entertained in the process.
While most cats respond to a laser pointer, there are some that don’t get tickled by it.
Imagine the frustration of looking online for the best laser pointer, buying one, and installing it only for your little friend to ignore it completely! Not a good show at all.
So, why would your cat refrain from chasing a laser pointer? There are three probable reasons:
1. He Figured It Out
This might come as a shock to you but cats have the mental capacity to figure that chasing lasers isn’t worth it.
Smart ones actually know what’s going on after a few sessions of playing with a laser pointer.
After scanning around the sofa, walls, and chairs for the elusive red dot, they will catch it occasionally.
When they do and place their paws on it, they will quickly realize there’s nothing there to be caught.
Others get the point when they watch you turn the pointer on and off. They will deduce that ‘prey’ only appears when you hold the thing in your hand. These are the cats that can tell that the cat in the mirror isn’t real.
For the most part, felines cannot figure that out. Often, they will look behind the mirror to find out who the cat is.
Only a few don’t bother because they know they are staring at themselves.
If your kitty belongs to the smarts group, then he already knows that the laser beam is not really prey.
2. Bad Eyesight
Cats have amazing eyes. They may not have the best eyesight in close range but they can see well in low light situations.
When you flash bright light in your kitty’s direction, his eyes will have a glow much similar to that in cat photographs.
Because of this, the red or blue laser light emanating from the laser pointer is very intriguing to them. What they see there is different from what a human being sees.
If your cat has poor eyes, perhaps from a health issue or from pointing the laser at him, he may have a hard time following the light.
You might want to have your cat’s eyes checked to rule this reason out.
3. Wrong Choice Of Laser
This is unconfirmed but some cats have been known to respond better to certain colors of lasers than others.
This is according to some Reddit users who claim that some of their cats don’t respond to certain colors of laser beams.
For some reason, the color of the cat’s eyes has a direct impact on how he or she responds to a laser pointer.
One user says that their blue-eyed kitty couldn’t see the red laser dot while their black and grey cats could.
While we cannot confirm whether this is a myth or not, changing the color of the laser pointer is worth a try if your fur baby doesn’t seem to like what he already has.
Related Post: 5 Best Motion Activated Laser Cat Toys
Final Thoughts
There you have it – three likely reasons why your cat won’t chase the laser.
To be more accurate with your findings, it might be a good idea to get an expert opinion from a vet.
This way, you will know exactly what you are up against and try to get a solution that works permanently.
Related Post: Do Laser Pointers Give Cats Anxiety?
Hi! I am Eleanor Price. I started this website after my cat, Louie, almost died from a case of botulism (a type of food poisoning often caused by bacteria that grow on food items). Turned out that my cat’s diet was the problem. I have made it my duty to provide the best information and recommendations about everything cat lovers need to know about their felines’ health and wellbeing. My goal is to find the most informative content on anything feline-related and share it with fellow hardworking kitty lovers.