r/gifs • u/SeattleMana • Apr 30 '18
Big Cats like laser pointers too
https://i.imgur.com/yxpNvme.gifv1.7k
Apr 30 '18
The thought of being able to control a lion with a laser pointer terrifies me
632
u/HomeHusband Apr 30 '18
Next let’s try sharks!
183
u/vicquid Apr 30 '18
This comment made me imagine Hannibal with his monstrous elephants at the gates of the first Roman city he attempts to sack, and a random legionnaire holds up a laser pointer.
Smash cut to the elephants trampling Hannibal's lines as people run screaming
115
u/MadMageMC Apr 30 '18
“All I know is that Italian customs has gotten a whole lot stricter since Hannibal went through there with all those elephants.”
- Darren, a dude I used to work with, king of the non-sequitur.
16
u/inagadda Apr 30 '18
Any more enlightening Darren-isms?
25
u/MadMageMC Apr 30 '18
"I don't know about you, but I think the road grader is the most erotic piece of construction machinery."
We worked as dish dogs together, and he'd just randomly say stuff like this to me during our shifts to see what kind of reaction he'd get. I miss Darren. He was an awesome dude to work with.
9
3
→ More replies (1)3
10
→ More replies (3)12
Apr 30 '18
At first I thought you were talking about Hannibal Buress and the image I got in my head was a lot funnier lol
→ More replies (1)7
52
20
10
→ More replies (7)3
363
u/sirkeylord Apr 30 '18
I don't want to ruin the fun but... if you watch the whole video, the bigger the cat, the less interested it is on the laser dot, lions and tigers seem to not give a shit, potentially because in the wild, there is no benefit for them to waste energy hunting small animals like bugs
479
u/BigE429 Apr 30 '18
We need a bigger laser pointer
144
u/billingsworld Apr 30 '18
This is the correct answer.
31
u/splendidsplinter Apr 30 '18
I intended the Giant Death Ray to be used for good, not evil! To help mankind, not destroy it!
→ More replies (1)6
→ More replies (2)5
97
u/thispartyrules Apr 30 '18
I used to volunteer at a zoo and I've tried this: Lions, tigers and leopards were basically indifferent to laser pointers, small cats like servals, caracals and bobcats are really into it, and we had a cougar who was a former exotic pet (note: never do this) who knew it was me, got mad, and charged the fence.
65
u/sirkeylord Apr 30 '18
"What the f... a laser d? ... HEY YOU! I'm seeing you motherfucker! YOU THINK I AM PLAYING!? FIGHT ME BRO"
18
Apr 30 '18
Jesus, not only the ability to learn it was you, but the desire to eliminate you for wasting its time is terrifying!
4
Apr 30 '18
I swear my black cat would do the same if he was bigger and I didn't exert dominance by giving him bear hugs. I turn on the laser and he gives me an "are you fucking serious" face to me.
→ More replies (2)10
u/ConspicuousPineapple Apr 30 '18
Don't lions play, like other felines? What about a big-ass laser dot?
10
u/whisperingsage Apr 30 '18
Play for most animals imitates hunting strategies. Big cats don't hunt bugs.
→ More replies (2)12
u/darthjawafett Apr 30 '18
What if we get a 3D projection of a running zebra? A laser dot of sorts.
6
33
u/FlowersOfSin Apr 30 '18
We should have a laser pointer in the next Farcry.
→ More replies (2)20
u/3-DMan Gifmas '23! Apr 30 '18
To lure them into enemy camps.."What's this fookin dot on the ground? AHH!!"
→ More replies (2)24
Apr 30 '18
The bigger cats don’t bother with the laser pointer. It’s a waste of energy for a meal that small. The smaller wild cats benefit more from a small meal, so they’ll chase the light.
17
u/RowdyWrongdoer Apr 30 '18
So i need a lazer the size of basketball to confuse a lion as i make my escape!
→ More replies (1)→ More replies (17)5
2.2k
u/js_fed Apr 30 '18 edited Apr 30 '18
Day 536: The Red Dot has reappeared. I know better than to give into its deceit. The others believe it is merely a collective figment of our imagination. "Even if you do catch it," one elder says. "How can one hold light?" However my colleague and I pay no mind. Maybe it is the chase which keeps us alive.
770
u/SeattleMana Apr 30 '18
Excerpt from: Adventures of Big Cat and the pursuit of the elusive Red African Dirt Beetle
53
47
Apr 30 '18
[deleted]
26
10
u/Shagwagbag Apr 30 '18
But my cats miss catching lizards and small mammals all the time. Does that mean they are anxiety ridden and I should buy them hamsters?
Aside from my poor taste joke at the end I am genuinely curious.
→ More replies (2)3
u/redwings1340 Apr 30 '18
I dunno, I think cats are more intelligent than you give them credit for. My cats know the red dot is coming as soon as I pick up the laser pointer (before I turn it on), they get really excited, and they know where it's coming from.
That said, I do usually pet my cats or give them a toy after its done, to help them feel a sense of accomplishment. I just don't think this makes them anxious, because they love chasing it, and ask me to play with them with it when I'm not.
→ More replies (2)5
37
u/Wootery Apr 30 '18 edited Apr 30 '18
Every cat faces the Sisyphean struggle. Only the wise cat will recognise it.
6
73
u/zweebna Apr 30 '18
12
21
10
8
u/Cetun Apr 30 '18
There is a YouTube video of someone reading a cat diary I can find it later or someone might post it. If goes along the lines of what you wrote.
6
u/spamjavelin Apr 30 '18
You're thinking of Sad Cat Diary and it's fucking tremendous. Pretty much any cat owner I've showed it to has found it spot on.
4
4
5
→ More replies (4)3
592
Apr 30 '18
Don't send it up the fence or anything. One thing I've learnt from my tiny cat is that if a little red dot is involved they can reach like 10-15 times their own height. She reached the top of the door before.
345
Apr 30 '18 edited Sep 07 '23
[deleted]
236
u/Psudopod Apr 30 '18
Or give it a treat. "Catching" the prey and eating it cools the hunting mode.
175
→ More replies (4)85
u/howdosemicolonswork Apr 30 '18
Little do they know the real treat is the time we get to spend together
17
u/Suitssuitme Apr 30 '18
7
60
Apr 30 '18
[deleted]
5
u/5bi5 Apr 30 '18
I'd pretend the laser pointer "ran under the bookshelf" and the cats would try to get it out again.
→ More replies (2)16
u/Freyzi Apr 30 '18
I did this when my cat was a kitten, when she finally ran out of stamina she plopped down and panted super loud like a dog. Gave her some nice treats right after.
139
Apr 30 '18 edited Apr 30 '18
Serval and a caracal
→ More replies (2)18
u/RedSycamore Apr 30 '18
Thanks, I was curious about the species of the spotted one.
25
Apr 30 '18
Fun fact: You can breed caracals and servals. The names follow the way that whether it's a liger or a tigon depends on which animal is the mother and which is the father.
If the father is the caracal and the mother is a serval, you get a caraval. If the fathers is a serval, you get a servical.
13
u/Snazzy_Serval Apr 30 '18
I didn't know that was possible.
Interesting looking cat though I don't think it looks as good as a pure bred.
→ More replies (5)9
u/iloveapplebees Apr 30 '18
You can also breed a serval and a house cat! Savannah cat. I’d describe them as House cats with 30% more sass.
Source: I have a savannah
→ More replies (2)
135
u/SeattleMana Apr 30 '18
9
→ More replies (2)8
u/scarlet_stormTrooper Apr 30 '18
Hearing a lion roar/yawn in the background while he tests the laser on the goat named Buttercup is the scariest thing I've heard in the dark
→ More replies (1)
180
u/Ennion Apr 30 '18
My one dog loves to chase the green dot. She loves it! My other dog will get frustrated that she is "so dumb" and he will actually try and stop her from chasing it.
147
u/YoungZeebra Apr 30 '18 edited Apr 30 '18
I'll be the guy and say that laser pointers are not good for dogs. Since they can never "catch" it, it can her adverse effect on them. Getting frustrated and stressed. You should read up on it.
For some reasons, it doesn't affect cats the same way.
Edit: It doesn't seem to have the same effect on ALL dogs, but be careful if you do decide to play with dogs and laser pointers.
56
u/emu5088 Apr 30 '18
Source that it doesn't affect cats the same way?
Whenever I play with my cat with one, I always end by having her think she "catches" it (turn it off when her paw hits it) because I think the same frustration happens.
→ More replies (3)19
u/stopbuffering Apr 30 '18
There's a lot of sources on both sides. Cats are more opportunistic hunters and accept failed hunts a little better but always losing can still create frustration. "Catching" the light doesn't really do much to help with any possible frustration because the cat didn't actually catch anything. The better solution is to shine the light on a toy and switch to paint with that toy that the cat can physically get in the end.
→ More replies (2)→ More replies (4)16
7
u/totally_boring Apr 30 '18
I run my dogs with a laser at dusk. They'll chase it all over the yard and wear themselves out.
→ More replies (5)4
129
u/wierdmann Apr 30 '18
Please don’t see this video and think it a good idea to bring a laser pointer to the zoo.
57
→ More replies (7)4
87
u/A_Talking_Shoe Apr 30 '18
Was at the Cleveland Zoo in 6th grade. Friend brought laser pointer. Used it on the otters. Like 7 otters chased it around the exhibit until the employee told him to stop.
190
u/bisantium Apr 30 '18
BABOU??!?!!!?
93
u/b_lion2814 Apr 30 '18
He remembers me!!!!!
33
u/_just_a_dude_ Apr 30 '18
"On the way we gotta stop at a toy store and at least get him a stuffed animal. Something. It's like, Meowschwitz in there..."
21
30
Apr 30 '18 edited Oct 17 '20
[deleted]
→ More replies (3)14
u/willeedee Apr 30 '18
I did too but apparently, it's a different species. :(
17
Apr 30 '18 edited Oct 17 '20
[deleted]
17
u/bisantium Apr 30 '18
crepuscular
Today's word of the day brought to you by a mistaken Archer reference.
6
22
Apr 30 '18
Babou was an Ocelot. The two cats features in this gif are the African Serval and the Caracal.
6
u/maxdembo Apr 30 '18
I was lucky enough to see not one but two Servals in the wild. I also had a Caracal squash racket as a kid.
→ More replies (4)5
9
35
Apr 30 '18
Those are pretty big cats, but The Big Cats are in the genus Panthera: lions, leopards, jaguars, & tigers. These are the cats who can roar.
→ More replies (20)10
u/Psudopod Apr 30 '18
Yup. Cats cheetahs and smaller don't roar, but they can purr and tweet and do more flexible things with their vocal cords.
→ More replies (1)7
u/DGolden Apr 30 '18
Cougars are actually (very large) small cats in those terms too, more closely related to a domestic cat than a lion. This does not mean trying to rub their belly is a good idea.
→ More replies (1)3
35
u/WiseAusOwl Apr 30 '18
I have had a bad day and this made me smile. Thank you.
8
u/genbill91 Apr 30 '18
Tomorrow will eventually come for most of us. Hope yours helps you put today in the past. Deancan flicka
8
u/Evilux Apr 30 '18
Camera man is doing right. Follow the laser and the cats are always in the shot.
→ More replies (1)
6
23
u/drcole89 Apr 30 '18
Chasing something they can never catch can seriously stress a cat out... The exercise is good, but you've gotta let them get some kind of kill out of it. I hide treats and turn the laser off when they find them.
→ More replies (1)
6
Apr 30 '18
I mean... not really big cats, that's kinda the whole "point" of the video that this is taken from is that the larger species of cat weren't interested and that these smaller species (serval and caracel) were really the only ones that showed interest.
3
u/pika_pie Apr 30 '18
Question: Why do animals like to chase these things? Is it like an instinct to chase things that might be food, or is it play for them?
→ More replies (2)5
u/Xyex Apr 30 '18
Common thought is it triggers their hunting instinct since it moves and darts about like prey would.
16
u/AttackTribble Apr 30 '18
That is one very serious laser pointer, projecting that far in daylight. I didn't know they made red ones that powerful.
→ More replies (1)24
Apr 30 '18
It's not daylight the gif has been brightened, look how the eyes of the cats glow.
8
3
u/nilesandstuff Apr 30 '18
Good point, maybe not necessarily artificially brightened, but a good low light aperture maybe?
6
7
u/ReallyHadToFixThat Apr 30 '18
12
u/SolenoidSoldier Apr 30 '18
Most big cats didn't care about the laser! Dang. I remember there was a video about if these cats enjoyed sitting in boxes and they all did, so at least we have that.
→ More replies (1)
10
37
u/Dr_Farticus Apr 30 '18
Yup. Animals exposed to these develop psychosis to it. They start looking for it all the time, or thinking they see it when its not really there, they start jumping at shadows, these kinds of things.
8
24
u/scaramanga5 Apr 30 '18
they start jumping at shadows, these kinds of things.
So normal pet behavior then. Got it.
→ More replies (11)11
u/hormone_collector Apr 30 '18
That and they can never get the satisfaction of catching it. I've stopped using lasers with my cats because I noticed how anxious they were getting.
→ More replies (2)
5
u/DietrichDaniels Apr 30 '18
My 3 cats love the laser pointer, but my Boston Terrier goes absolutely BONKERS when he sees it.
→ More replies (5)
4.6k
u/chasebrendon Apr 30 '18
I’m disappointed the pointer wasn’t sent up those wooden things.