Cruel ??

syren

from FAT to FIT
I have a question for all you cat lovers.

I have 4 cats.. all boys and they are my babies and i love them to bits and spoil them rotten ! There is so many toys about my house you'd think i had kids. We have climbers and cat tunnels and cat tents and they have complete run of the house.

Each cat has their own personality and their own favourite things to play with.. the littlest one 'Oscar' is obsessed with the laser toy. It's in the shape of a bumble bee (lazer bee-m lol) and it's magnetic so it's just stuck to the fridge so i can grab it and play with him when i want to.. Sometimes he'll just stare at it and mew for me to grab it and when you do play with it with him he goes mental ! like seriously, my other cats chase it but he goes nuts.. he runs himself ragged and starts to pant sometimes.. I have to admit it is very amusing and i do get a kick out of it but I only do it for short bursts for fear of him getting too worked up.. My husband says it's cruel and that i'm going to drive him crazy.. but i'm positive he knows it's a toy.. just like if i were to dangle something for him to bat at.. When i 'click' the button he automatically looks at the floor for the red dot so i think he 'knows' that it's just a toy for him to chase. I never ever shine it in his eyes and i don't run him in circles like some people would do and when i think it's time for him to stop playing i'll run the beam around the corner so he thinks he just lost track of it instead of it disappearing into thin air cuz i think that would do more damage psychologically lol.. Could I just be over analyzing all this or could it be considered cruel ?
 
2 of my cats love the laser pen I have and on one occasion theyve been left panting. I'd never seen a cat pant before so felt really guilty, I now only do it in short bursts so as not to get them so out of breath. Mind you they go mad without the pen, theyre brother and sister coming up to 18 months old and literally spend half the day chasing each other up the walls and curtains.
I don't think the laser pen is cruel, they know theyre playing, mine come running when I rattle the keyring on the end of it but cats can only sweat via their paws so are liable to overheating and for that reason I wouldnt do it to the point of panting again.
 
i didn't know cats only sweat via their paws.. how interesting. As soon as he starts panting i stop and that's enough for him but it's hard to gauge sometimes cuz he's really enjoying himself.. I didn't think it was cruel but i just didn't want to think i was mentally torturing him either.. lol
 
no not mentally torturing. If hes staring at it when its sitting on the fridge he knows exactly where that red dot is coming from, he's enjoying playing.

I've got an Oscar too...unfortunately hes not interested in the laser pen because he could do with a bit more exercise. He became depressed and lethargic when I had him done and he piled on the weight. Tried cutting back his food but he used to sit all day in one spot eating bugs slugs and worms that passed him. Vet said not to bother cutting his portions anymore as he was just filling up on unhealthy junk...I'm so glad our junk food is not the same as cats!
 
awww poor fella.. i know the feeling ! lol how long has it been since you had him done ? you think he'll snap out of it ? and i think my boys eat better than i do !
 
He was done 20th may last year, bought him home from the vets then my daughter turns up with an hour old kitten that had been abandoned by his kitten mum. I think a new born kitten in the house served as a reminder of what he had lost. lol. Oscar had come to us as a stray and had to wait a few months before I could legally do him and I think he was enjoying tomcathood. Long story short he turned from a slim sleek friendly fellow into a grumpy lump...he was about 20lbs at his heaviest. He does seem to be coming out of it now and the weight is slowly coming off. Unless of course it was all in sympathy with me...hmmmm.

I have 5 cats, 3 that came as strays, then the kitten that was abandoned and the kittens sister who was born the day after. I think their 6 month old kitten mum was freaked when she gave birth and ran off, they can delay delivery and thats what she seemed to do because she turned up the next morning and delivered 2 more which she did sort of raise. under the decking of her (stupid irresponsible) owners. We had one of these 2 because the one I raised really didn't seem to know he was a cat and I was hoping that having another his age would teach him...no luck, he still thinks hes above everyone apart from me. But he's my baby, I did the 2 hour feeds etc even his miaow sounds like hes crying "mam"

And with all that I've written you can see where i got my name....:8855:
 
all 4 of our cats love chasing the red laser dot we have. they love it. we only play for a short time, but its just honing there hunting skills
 
yay for multiple kitty owners ! :)

all mine are indoors.. now maybe i should be asking if THAT is cruel.. i would love to let them out but i am terrified of them getting run over as i live just off a main road. They've got quite a bit of space to roam in so i don't feel 'too' bad. I can let them out for a bit if i supervise them and all of them are really good.. they just sniff and chase butterflies or leaves and only one wants to dart for the street.. he's the one appropriately named Loki. Unfortunately we have a feral cat epidemic in my city and they're trying to police it with keeping your cats in doors and mandatory licenses.. it breaks my heart how many cats are injured by drivers and how many strays are put down yearly.. our local humane society is constantly trying to raise funds for their 'no kill shelter' and also they're fighting for a spay/neuter clinic as it is outrageous to get that done over here and hence the reason we're over populated.

I feel a little better about the laser issue now and i'll break it out for Oscar later... he'll be very happy and i'll tell him he had supporters and can now work on his hunting skills again.. lol

glad to hear your Oscar is coming out of it.. maybe he needs a cat weightloss forum.. haha

awww it's so awesome that you weened newborn kitties.. so cute no wonder they're your babies !
 
I lost a cat on the road :cry: just a few weeks before I got the kitten, they are indoor cats, never been out don't miss it. However the ones that came as strays go stir crazy when i try and keep them in (yobs around, bonfire weekend ect) and although I hate it and worry myself stupid I think it would be cruel to keep them in. Thinking about it I think keeping Oscar in for 6 weeks due to illness prior to being done and then due to being done might have contributed to his personality change. I feel really guilty now even though it had to be done:sigh:

As well as the road the kittens are safer indoors because the little girl is only just 5lbs so very tiny and the little man I raised has NO FEAR. He is too brave for his own good, he'd stand there thinking he could take on a dog
 
Don't feel guilty.. you are definitely doing the right thing , i know it's hard cuz i feel the same.. when i see the other cats in the neighbourhood running around and being free i think my boys would love to do that ! but then come the winter and i hear the poor cats outdoors mewing for their owners to let them in it breaks my heart. They're also exposed to disease and fleas and other predators and of course vehicles. I keep my cats in for their own protection.. Loki is like your little male kitten.. from the day we got him he was a terror ! and he's the alpha male..he thinks he even rules us! he's an odd duck though, i think he may have been dropped on his head before he came to us who knows..lol he loves being vaccuumed, blow dryed, he has his own electric toothbrush to brush his teeth and during our renovations he would inch closer and closer to my husband whenever he was using the band saw... he'd have his ears flat to his head but he was just so fascinated by the noise ! definitely fearless...lol.. but in the street he's a danger to himself.. he chases leaves right out into the middle of the road.. curiosity definitely would kill this cat.

and i'm very sorry to hear about the loss of your kitty :( *hugs*
 
aww sounds like you have a very happy cat and i dont think youre being cruel at all..i wouldnt let him get to panting stage again though :)

mine are indoors at the moment,but they are starting their outdoor training next week..well as much as you can train a cat lol just teaching them to come when i call them mainly.they look out the windows a lot,and they are desperate to get out and play :D
 
how many cats do you have bunny ? hope you don't live near a busy road :/
 
i have 5 cats hun.i live up a little path,off a road..its not a main road,just a regular small road. i have 3 houses opposite me,big green space. my back garden is enclosed in,they could obviously climb the fence but im sure they will be fine.

i have cat trees,posts,tunnels etc in the house but 2 of them (the mogs) want out, the other 3 arent bothered as they are a bit older and i think they are used to being in and dont care.

but these 2 really want to play outside in the garden and stuff and im being selfish to them by keeping them,they have natural instincts and behaviours and they cant fullfill them inside.

i wont be letting them out when im out, and they wont be out at night,just when im in,during the day so i can watch them. theyre neutered which stops them travelling too far away,the one doesnt like strangers and they both stick together like glue so i dont think theres going to be a problem :)
 
5 cats .. woah.. i have 4 but quite sure i'll be up to 5, 6 , 10 someday.. lol.. just love the lil *******.

Sounds like you have a lovely area for them to enjoy..only one of mine doesn't care if he's in all the time as he's a bit older now.. 2 others are content to stay in the garden and i can leave them out there for a few hours and they'll be in the same spots i left them.. lol I only really feel bad for Loki.. he's a bit on the feral side and has never abandoned that need to go out and hunt, he's the one who darts out the house if you leave the door open too long but he's also the one who runs into the road.. he doesn't understand that we do it for his own good :( he's funny though, he HATES the snow.. he'll cry to go out and we'll let him out during the first snow fall and watch him try and maneuver from one bare spot on the ground to the next.. lol
 
All 5 of mine love love love the laser pen. Its a great exercise for them and it also is really handy for getting them in at night. As mine has a keychain on it, i just shake it and they all come running to find the red dot.

Its not cruel, Im sure they know its a game

Sah x
 
Symphony said:
All 5 of mine love love love the laser pen. Its a great exercise for them and it also is really handy for getting them in at night. As mine has a keychain on it, i just shake it and they all come running to find the red dot.

Its not cruel, Im sure they know its a game

Sah x

I love watching you get the cats in with the laser x
 
Our kitten Amber loves the laser pen but we do limit it to a few minutes at a time.

Our Springer Spaniel on the other hand is completely nuts about the laser pen or anything else shiney for that matter and he knows where the pen is kept and will stare at the floor waiting for the red dot. Chasing lights etc in dogs has been called OCD and some dogs have been given calming tablets because of it.

When Amber plays with the pen thankfully our boy Springer knows she is only little (6mths) and he is very gentle and if the light goes near her he leaves it alone.

Lights with dogs no at good idea but with cats I think it helps them with their hunting ability.
 
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