This is my cat Scooter. When she was younger, her favorite toy was a sort of fishing pole. When I moved the pole at its handle end, it would pull a long piece of string. Scooter then chased after the fake mouse at the other end of the string. Alas, she's gotten bored with this toy more quickly over the years, so I searched for a new toy that she would like.
And then, I found something like this:

see more
Lolcats and funny pictures
While replenishing her treat supply at a pet store, I ran across a $2 laser toy. It couldn't hurt, I reasoned. (Especially not with a power rating of 5 mW.) The cat might actually like it. Well, that proved to be an understatement! Scooter chases the little red dot everywhere, even on the walls. She has even learned to beg me -- not for food, but for that little red dot! She even recognizes the laser pointer when I pick it up off a table. It's high-tech catnip.
The laser, it seems, has now gone the way of the flying car, another device that hasn't materialized the way science fiction once said it would. Lasers were for killing and destroying, not useful functions like complimenting rulers, cutting metal or protecting homes from thieves. They certainly weren't envisioned as pet toys that even little kids can safely wield.
But there you have it. Scooter sure doesn't mind!