Old laser pointer vs feather wand, I picked wrong for my senior cat

My cat Mochi turns 11 this year and she used to chase anything that moved. About 6 months ago I noticed she would just watch the laser dot on the floor like it was background noise. I had to choose between trying a feather wand or sticking with the laser since those were her two favorite toys for years. I bought a new laser pointer with a brighter dot thinking she just needed a stronger signal. Turns out her eyes are getting slower and the quick dot movements frustrate her, she starts grooming mid-chase and walks away. My neighbor Karen let me borrow her old feather wand and Mochi went nuts, she loves the dragging motion and the rustling sound. I spent $12 on that laser and it sits in the drawer now, the free wand from Karen is her daily jam. Has anyone else had a cat suddenly reject a toy they loved for years and find a random replacement works better?

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leer121mo ago

Watching Mochi lose interest in something she used to love must've been rough, especially when you were just trying to keep her happy in her older years. My old boy Gus did the same thing with his crinkle ball, chased that thing for a decade and then one day just stared at it like it was a rock. I bought three different replacements trying to get the magic back and he ignored every single one. The weird part is he got obsessed with a plain shoelace my kid left on the floor, dragging it around the kitchen every night like a kitten again. Sometimes they just want the slow, simple stuff as their bodies change, and the fancy version isn't what clicks anymore. Glad Karen's wand saved the day for you two.

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