Review: FroliCat BOLT Interactive Pet Laser Toy

I’m a cat person. Over the years, I’ve found that a cheap way to get a great deal of entertainment out of your cat is with the use of a laser pointer. Racing the dot across the carpet, tile, and wall results in frenetic outburst of feline chattering, agility, and aerobatics. The laser pointer is also a good way to keep your cat’s attention occupied so that they stay out of trouble. The only problem is that, eventually, either the cat or I will get tired of the laser pointer and move on to something else. That’s when the entertainment and diversion end. ThinkGeek sent a solution to my problem, in a manner of speaking, in the form of Brilliant Pet’s FroliCat BOLT interactive pet laser toy.

The BOLT is nicely packaged, with a basic overview of the different features of the device on the back of the box. The BOLT itself is made of a seemingly-sturdy white plastic that I’m sure can take the punishment of a rampaging cat or dog. The device itself takes four AA batteries, inserted at the bottom, which helps add a bit of extra weight, making it a bit more steady in case your pet rushes by in wild abandon. The best feature of the BOLT, though, is the 15-minute operation timer. You can turn it on, set it down, and let your pet have effortless (for you) fun. Fifteen minutes later, the device turns off to conserve battery power. If you cat has been enjoying itself, go ahead and set it for another 15-minute run. Your cat (or dog) is entertained for a quarter of an hour, and you are given a respite from having to chase your cat (or dog) away from trying to eat the damn plant on the window sill.

At times, Moogle (the cat you will see in the videos below) can be incomprehensibly brilliant. This is not always the case, though, and the BOLT toy, when left to work its magic on its own, stumped her at one point, causing her to completely lose interest. The fault of the stumping was Moogle’s, not the BOLT’s, but the result was the same no matter whose fault it was: Moogle was no longer interested in the loud, slow-moving light that disappeared from her view. This brings me to the first potential fault of the BOLT device: it is noisy, and it is slow. The device works by pointing a laser beam straight up into an adjustable mirror. The mirror can be adjusted to point at the floor or at the wall, depending on where you’re placing the device and how you want it to operate. The mirror is then angled left/right/up/down within a limited range, which causes the laser to reflect and move around on the surface it is pointed towards. In theory, this is great. In execution, however, the noise of the moving mirror distracted Moogle from the laser, and the speed of the laser held her interest for only the briefest of moments.

In this first video (I apologize for not editing out the gratuitous grooming session at the beginning) we have the BOLT laser toy working on its own. Any sudden motion by the laser pointer is caused by me readjusting the device to try to catch Moogle’s eye:

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In this second video, the BOLT device is being handled manually as you would any laser pointer. The speed and range of the laser dot are increased drastically, and Moogle’s attention is much easier to keep:

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Unfortunately, Moogle is used to a faster pace laser pointer than the BOLT can provide without manual operation. That’s just Moogle, though, and your cat (or dog) may have a differing opinion about how the nefarious red light that can never be destroyed moves. Either way, the device is available on ThinkGeek for only $19.99. If your cat (or dog) doesn’t go for the slow, methodical automatic operation, you can always pick it up and wave it around like you just don’t care.