Cat-atonic? Get some game!

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The Bolt Laser toy is one way to kep your cat jumping and healthy. (BLOOMBERG THE WASHINGTON POST)

Pudgy cats don't despair, there's an app for you. Technically, the new trend of electronic or virtual cat toys isn't designed specifically to slim your pet, but it might be a positive side effect.

A few months ago, an iPad app garnered some media attention. The app, unimaginatively called Game for Cats, entices cats to chase a moving dot on the screen. The dot is meant to incite cats into pouncing. A newer version now involves a butterfly, rather than a dot. The app costs $1.99 and the screen is said to be sturdy enough to withstand cat attacks.

This news might have caused those who think all feline fans are crazy cat people -- you know that we shirk interaction with the outside world and dress our kitties in doll outfits -- to ask, "You've got to be kidding, there's really an app for that?" To be honest, I was surprised too. Mind you, I don't have an iPad or iPhone. I could be described as technologically challenged; my cat, however, would likely figure it out before I would.

Most animal-lovers don't immediately scoff at games like these. They understand that animals can interact with games even if they don't understand the technology. That said, it's not as if average humans spend their spare time making apps or computer games for kicks and giggles. Most of us have forgotten how electricity is generated; it's doubtful we could take on the task of game creation. Like our cat counterparts, we click buttons and blindly chase virtual icons, too.

Those who think games like these wouldn't attract the attention of our pets likely don't spend time with animals. One of my favourite memories of my now deceased cat Rainbow is computer-related. As I learned the ins and outs of a new computer, I spent hours at the screen. Rainbow sat on top of a ledge just above the monitor. As I moved the mouse, he'd bat at the arrow on the screen. Dim Sum, my other cat, showed no interest. Like humans, pets have their preferences, too.

We often are skeptical about animal intelligence. A recent PBS documentary called A Murder of Crows showed how smart crows are. One sub-species has learned to create tools to hunt food. It makes a hook out of sticks and digs for bugs. Another sub-species in Austria was tested with a computer touch-screen. The birds would see two pictures on the screen. One icon would result in food dropping from a chute, the other would not. Researchers found that the birds took just a few attempts before they' would figure out which icon gave them the goodies. The learning curve was on par with human toddlers. Dogs, in similar tests, took at least 12 attempts.

Unlike the research outlined in the documentary, Game for Cats is meant as pure fun. And it's not the only virtual toy available for cat owners. Others exist online. I tried one sample on my laptop. By that I mean I allowed my cat to attempt to attack the icons -- I wasn't swiping at virtual butterflies -- mainly because I knew they weren't connected to an M&M's chute. I discovered Dim Sum hasn't warmed to computer games.

She does, however, enjoy the laser. My husband and I both speak publicly, so we have lasers on hand. The second she hears the flick of a laser's button, she comes running from anywhere. She'd play for hours if we'd accommodate her.

Some feel that the main problem with a laser is that it could blind the cat. I have to admit that I assumed the same thing and was very careful to keep it away from my cat's face. So, I was interested to read research about the laser on a blog called Mythicbells Persian Cats and Kittens. The writer directed readers to government classifications of lasers. The class of laser used in pointers makes them less likely to cause eye injury. A human or cat would have to stare into the beam for quite a while to suffer an injury.

While the idea of a laser toy is fun, some of us don't have a great deal of time to play with our cats. An award-winning toy might solve this problem. The Bolt Laser Cat Toy (found at petproductadvisor.com for under $200) is a battery-run laser device that can be set to automatically move a beam for 15 minutes. It shuts off automatically. While it doesn't replace the hours of scampering an outside cat would enjoy, it's a start.

These are just a few examples of electronic or virtual toys available to owners who scan the internet. In our dog-centric, pet-toy world cat options seem to be expanding yearly. Cat-lovers likely hope the possibilities are virtually endless.

char.adam@mts.net twitter.com/charspetpage

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition October 18, 2011 D5