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But while some see Cat Dancer as the “greatest cat toy ever,” it still involves manually waving your hand around, rendering it useless while you’re working, cooking or just too busy to jiggle yet another thing around for your cat to swat at. The logical upgrade? Hands-free, baby. Right now, Amazon has an automatic laser cat toy that one reviewer says is “worth every penny” on sale for 20% off, making this a sub-$20 steal. This nifty toy can kill your cat’s boredom while you’re tied up with work, running errands or even out on a weekend trip away.
This cat-shaped laser toy moves a red dot laser in circles around any room its in, giving your cat(s) something to chase around without much effort from you. Every 1.5 hours, it automatically turns on for 15 minutes of active play before shutting off again, which is helpful for anyone leaving home for a few days or for encouraging their feline friend to stay active throughout the day. You can adjust laser motions to one of five settings or its timer to change operation intervals. It’s powered by USB-C or, for more portability, four AA batteries.
It’s also great for anyone who owns several cats, according to one reviewer. “My cats go nuts for this thing and it’s timer really is great,” they say. “It can also just be left on for as long as you want or turned off. I have 5 cats and they rally up when it turns on lol. Not many toys make them as happy as this.”
Read on for more promising reviews of how this boredom-busting toy can give your kitty some daily joy.
“I have a 4 month old kitten who has started getting anything he can possible get into at home so we needed something to help distract him. Not only does this distract him but it also keeps him engaged for the entire 15 minutes it runs. Sometimes I’ll turn it on again right after it auto shuts off and he will play continuously the entire time. I love that it auto turns back on after while especially during the week when I’m not home to play with him. Fantastic purchase!” — Sara
“This took some time for our cat to warm up to it. Initially, she just watched the laser as it spiraled around her. She didn’t play with it much, but it still kept her attention for most of the 15 minute cycle. We’ve had this unit for a little over a month now, and she absolutely LOVES IT! She actively chases the laser around. We now keep it in the first active mode all day everyday to try and prevent her 4am yelling wake up calls for attention and play- it seems to have worked!” — Chelsea B
“She goes crazy with it, it goes off for an hour and a half half and then goes on for 15 minutes. And she’s always begging to have it again! Lol she’s such a laser girl! The other two cats play with it as well! I highly recommend this!! Not only because it’s fun for my kitty, but probably will be a for yours as well. It’s several different heights it can make the laser go. And it keeps them entertained as well!! Highly recommend! 10/10!!” — busy_momma
“My brother had one of these for his cats and I thought it was genius. Not only do we not have to hold and move around the laser ourselves, but every 1.5 hours it turns on an does its thing for 15 minutes. This is a great feature since we take week long vacations at least once a year, so they have something to get their motors moving every now and then. It also has 2 speed options and a level option so the laser can go out further. I find the laser level option not the greatest as the laser goes out further it gets bigger and fuzzy. Love this product overall. Definitely recommend for your little fur babies!” — Stacie J.
“My cat loves lasers and can sometimes get bored and play with my Christmas tree when she wants attention. When I can’t give her the attention like in the middle of the night I put this on and she goes crazy. Best purchase. Now she doesn’t always love to play with it cause she is a weird cat but she does love it.” — Rachel Birmingham
“I have two one year old cats, siblings from the same litter, quite the bonded pair. All their toys from their age of 8 weeks and forward suddenly seemed to bore them. They loved when I played the hand held laser light with them. But, sadly, I don’t have unlimited time to fulfill their wishes that I play with them all the time. So, I ordered this. They love it. They sit by it when it automatically turns off after fifteen minutes as if saying, “Again! Again!” It will automatically turn on for another 15 minutes of playtime after an hour or so, or I can just start it again. They must sense it because from wherever they are they come running to play. My girl, a bit more cautious and intuitive than her adventurous brother, watches the red dot moving around and seems to enjoy watching her brother chase it more than chasing it herself. I recommend this. It’s very easy to set up and use. I’ve only used the USB connection rather than batteries so far. I had to play around with positioning to be sure the red dot was showing up in the right places for them. Totally worth it.” — M’arilyn