> Surely not? We've had LEDs at the low-energy end of the
> spectrum for decades; why not an infrared laser?
>
> Or are you inferring that you need the energy in order to
> produce secondary effects for the cat's optical apparatus
> to track? E.g., flames, smoke, charring..
Affirmative... Of course with a high-power laser IR diode array (if
adequately cooled) you can process thin sheet metal, so at least the
laser head could be flashlight-sized.