Laser cat bowling

February 18, 2011 10:16 AM

Laser cat bowling.
posted by hippybear (34 comments total)

Completes the task as described on the metal enclosure.
posted by Dr-Baa at 10:24 AM on February 18, 2011

This is actually a great metaphor for my job...
posted by Skorgu at 10:28 AM on February 18, 2011 [6 favorites]

This is actually a great metaphor for a plastic tumbler's job.
posted by katillathehun at 10:30 AM on February 18, 2011

It's just like real bowling, only better.
posted by googly at 10:34 AM on February 18, 2011

See also: Pug bowling
posted by specialagentwebb at 10:34 AM on February 18, 2011 [1 favorite]

I lol'd.

/will be doing this as soon as I get home today.
posted by rhythim at 10:41 AM on February 18, 2011

Another reason why I wish my husband and middle child weren't allergic to cats. My kitchen floor would be perfect for this!

Does anyone think this would work with a three year old instead?
posted by TooFewShoes at 10:47 AM on February 18, 2011

Does anyone think this would work with a three year old instead?

Two words: cloth diapers.
posted by bonehead at 10:59 AM on February 18, 2011

I snol'd.

(snorted out loud)
posted by a womble is an active kind of sloth at 11:02 AM on February 18, 2011 [1 favorite]

This is a whole 'nother level of brilliant.
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 11:03 AM on February 18, 2011

TooFewShoes, a three year old would likely take great delight in knocking down your lovely pyramid of plastic cups. You might have difficulty getting said toddler to scootch around on his/her butt or tummy to do it, though. Maybe a headlong charge with a pillow or something soft behind the pyramid for him/her to crash into?
posted by LN at 11:04 AM on February 18, 2011

Needs more Older.
posted by Mister Moofoo at 11:05 AM on February 18, 2011 [2 favorites]

TooFewShoes: "Does anyone think this would work with a three year old instead?"

Cotton socks, a hardwood-floor hallway, and some brightly-colored round candies (think Skittles). And yeah, probably some pillows at the end.
posted by specialagentwebb at 11:08 AM on February 18, 2011

Before watching the video, I was going to comment that just based on the title, I knew exactly what this was going to be.

I'm happy to say that I was slightly wrong. I didn't expect the "pins" to be such an elaborate affair, and I'm tickled by the idea that the cat was sitting there the whole time watching them build it not thinking "In a few minutes, I'm going to accidentally ruin that thing..."
posted by quin at 11:13 AM on February 18, 2011 [2 favorites]

I wonder if people should be careful about the laser pointer baiting with the cats.

One of our cats has figured this out. As soon as he sees the red dot on the floor he turns around and looks at me. "Your simple games no longer amuse me, human..."

Then the other cat comes barreling in all OOH SHINY THING GRAB! It's like one of them should be reading classics while the other one is licking paint off the walls.
posted by backseatpilot at 11:19 AM on February 18, 2011 [14 favorites]

Eventually, some will bridge the cognitive gap needed to discern that the light is coming from elsewhere.

My dog figured out the elusive red dot comes from the pointer. She'll launch herself at my hand in a very damp soft-mouthed way to try to slobber the thing out from my grasp.
posted by cmyk at 11:26 AM on February 18, 2011 [1 favorite]

I need you to stay late tonight

please tell me where i can find one of these for my cat
posted by backseatpilot at 11:27 AM on February 18, 2011

NOW I AM HAPPY THANK YOU INTERNET.
posted by mintcake! at 11:29 AM on February 18, 2011 [1 favorite]

Burhanistan: "I wonder if people should be careful about the laser pointer baiting with the cats. Eventually, some will bridge the cognitive gap needed to discern that the light is coming from elsewhere."

Too late. When my cats see me pull out the laser pointer, they get all excited and start meowing expectantly. They know exactly what is up.
posted by brundlefly at 11:31 AM on February 18, 2011 [1 favorite]

I had a pointer and the cats would recognize the sound of the key chain when I grabbed it and then would come into the room looking for the dot.
posted by zzazazz at 11:45 AM on February 18, 2011 [1 favorite]

Green laser = eye damage eventually.
posted by blue_beetle at 11:45 AM on February 18, 2011 [2 favorites]

Dr-Baa: "Completes the task as described on the metal enclosure"

Nonsense; this was the far inferior self-propelled version of cat bowling. There was a distinct lack of actual cat-flinging. We wuz robbed.
posted by Hardcore Poser at 11:49 AM on February 18, 2011

I always felt bad about using a laser as a toy for my kitty, it seemed like a source of great frustration for him.
posted by cell divide at 11:54 AM on February 18, 2011

Actually you should be careful using a green laser for something like this. Cheap red laser pointers are very low powered. Contrary to common belief having one shine into your eye won't cause permanent damage. But green lasers are usually more powerful. These are the ones idiots shine at planes and will cause permanent damage rather quickly. Especially in a feline eye which is designed for night vision. Sorry to be a poop.
posted by Splunge at 12:50 PM on February 18, 2011

i've also read (somewhere on metafilter) that they're not good for cats because it fucks with their sense of predator/prey when there's no prey there
although the cat treat idea would solve that i guess
but then you might have blind cats
posted by angrycat at 1:00 PM on February 18, 2011

After... four? I think four... different rounds of laser procedures on both eyes (two posterior capsulotomies with Nd-YAG lasers, and a few retinopexies for holes with 532nm green lasers), I've developed a mad hate for laser-pointer trolling.

It's still funny when it happens to cats, though.
posted by fairytale of los angeles at 1:24 PM on February 18, 2011

But green lasers are usually more powerful.

Not true. Frequency has nothing to do with power.
posted by empath at 1:50 PM on February 18, 2011

Didn't anybody feel sorry for the cat? He looked pretty scared when the cups fell over.
posted by bitslayer at 1:52 PM on February 18, 2011

I'd feel pretty sorry for Kryoman if he walked into a room full of cats whose owners had done this to them. I think he'd last about four seconds.
posted by Zack_Replica at 2:02 PM on February 18, 2011

They know. You can see it in their eyes -- they know. But there is nothing they can do about it.

And they know that too.
posted by rtimmel at 2:25 PM on February 18, 2011

Not true. Frequency has nothing to do with power.

Yes, but cheap green laser pointers are frequency doubled IR Nd:YAG lasers. Cheap ones sometimes don't have the appropriate filters and blast a high power of IR light, which can blind.

Lasers deserve lots of respect.
posted by beepbeepboopboop at 3:35 PM on February 18, 2011

Does anyone think this would work with a three year old instead?

When I was about three, I had those cardboard bricks? Pretty much the favorite game of me and my best friend's was to stack those bricks up to block my bedroom door, tie dress-up scarves around our necks, and play "superhero", which consisted of repeatedly flinging ourselves at, and bursting through, the bricks. I suspect that your child may be amenable to something similar.
posted by Mizu at 4:13 PM on February 18, 2011 [2 favorites]

The only way this could be better is if Paris Hilton's cake was behind the pins.
posted by misha at 5:56 PM on February 18, 2011

One of our cats has figured this out. As soon as he sees the red dot on the floor he turns around and looks at me. "Your simple games no longer amuse me, human..."

Then the other cat comes barreling in all OOH SHINY THING GRAB! It's like one of them should be reading classics while the other one is licking paint off the walls.

It seems we have the same set of cats. And yes, one of them does seem to be writing letters to the editor while the other is huffing whatever she can find under the counters.
posted by sonika at 6:10 PM on February 18, 2011 [2 favorites]