'Obi' poised to be next best thing to entertain your cat

Cats love to have fun, and it's nice to indulge them in their quest to seek opportunities to engage in play, no matter their play style. 

As I've previously discussed, felines are pretty good at playing independently or getting another pet or a human on board to interact. Though they'd be ecstatic if we were available 24/7 to entertain them, it's just not possible. 

One new product, the Obi, is a toy designed to help keep cats happy by satiating their love of chasing lasers, and no humans need be in the room.

With a sleek, minimalist design, Obi can easily notch into any decor seamlessly – and can fit on a shelf or even a small table. 

The compact unit transmits a red laser, which can be activated and then controlled via iPhone in the manual mode, or it can be programmed to turn on at a specified time (when a sound will emit from the unit to let your cat know it's time to play). In the latter case, a boundary can be programmed in to restrict where the laser is pointed, as well as setting a customized pattern for the laser to appear to suit your cats play style. 

Used in the manual mode, Obi can easily engage a cat in a thoughtful manner by sticking to some mindful rules that you can read about by clicking here. While Obi is a fun option for felines, I do stress that lasers are an inappropriate option for dogs as using one can result in behavioral issues –  their play styles and needs differ from that of a cat.

The brains behind Obi, Dan Provost and Tom Gerhardt, are no strangers creating and marketing tech-savvy products: this is just the most recent that is posited to be as successful. By way of a Kickstarter campaign, in just two weeks nearly $50,000 of the  $120,000 goal has been pledged. For an $80 pledge, you can pre-order an Obi for your home. 

In their pitch, the duo fleshes out how their newest endeavor is different. They're putting together a podcast that chronicles the adventure of how they're bring this idea to fruition. 

"We've been recording our conversations since the inception of the idea, and the first episode is already available to download," notes Provost. 

Click here for more, including the accompanying Kickstarter video.

Lorrie Shaw is a freelance writer and owner of Professional Pet Sitting. Shoot her an email, contact her at 734-904-7279 or follow her adventures on Twitter.