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Method of exercising a cat

 Kevin T. Amiss et al
A method for inducing cats to exercise consists of directing a beam of invisible light produced by a hand-held laser apparatus onto the floor or wall or other opaque surface in the vicinity of the cat, then moving the laser so as to cause the bright pattern of light to move in an irregular way...
Inventors: Kevin T. Amiss, Martin H. Abbott

U.S. Classification
119/707

International Classification
A01K 2900

View patent at USPTO

Citations

Patent NumberTitleIssue date
3877171(unknown)Apr 1975
4208701Luminous toyJun 17, 1980
4231077Light toyOct 28, 1980
4757515Laser tube casingJul 12, 1988
4761715Laser pointerAug 2, 1988
4926438Laser pointerMay 15, 1990
4985029Laser apparatus for medical treatmentJan 15, 1991
5056097Target illuminators and systems employing sameOct 8, 1991
5194007Semiconductor laser weapon trainer and target designator for live fireMar 16, 1993

Referenced by

Patent NumberTitleIssue date
6505576Pet toyJan 14, 2003
D469197Ornamental laser pointer systemJan 21, 2003
6557495Laser pet toyMay 6, 2003
6651591Automatic laser pet toy and exerciserNov 25, 2003
6701872Method and apparatus for automatically exercising a curious animalMar 9, 2004
7066780Pet entertainment deviceJun 27, 2006
7357421Page or book for interacting with an animalApr 15, 2008

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A method of inducing aerobic exercise in an unrestrained cat comprising the steps of:

(a) directing an intense coherent beam of invisible light produced by a hand-held laser apparatus to produce a bright highly-focused pattern of light at the intersection of the beam and an opaque surface, said pattern being of visual interest to a cat; and
(b) selectively redirecting said beam out of the cat's immediate reach to induce said cat to run and chase said beam and pattern of light around an exercise area.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said bright pattern of light is small in area relative to a paw of the cat.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said beam remains invisible between said laser and said opaque surface until impinging on said opaque surface.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein step (b) includes sweeping said beam at an angular speed to cause said pattern to move along said opaque surface at a speed in the range of five to twenty-five feet per second.

Drawings