Bought for my boys Ruckus and Tumble bc cats see green, yellow and purple very well but not not red. They see it alright! It lights up an area like a thin green flashlight, you can even see the actual beam in a dimly lit room. The single dot is a big fat one, not like most tiny dots from the typical dollar store red laser lights. It says on the label that it's under 5mw though I think it might be pushing a bit more. It didn't get hot in my hand after 2 mins of sustained on-ness, during which I was admittedly captivated by the shifting patterning attachment while the cats were positively mesmerized. From a distance though, the light is so bright that they were squinting at the dot and looking to me as if to ask "why is the light so spicy?" I imagine this to be an invaluable tool in the pocket of a lecture hall professor or some other person who likes to point at things and would do so more if it weren't for their too-short arms that get tired too quickly. As for me, I'd rather not accidentally blind my poor house panthers so I will, sadly, be returning this. 4 stars instead of 5 not for the light being too powerful but because the pattern attachment can very easily be lost and the little safety clip over the button is pretty flimsy.