I don’t know why, but I can provide details about what I have observed with my cat-a cat that “asks” me every night in circles around the house. My total experience includes about 10 cats/kittens and 3 color high power laser pointer. Unfortunately, only one color laser was used for each cat, and only one cat was observed with 3 different color lasers.
The kittens I have observed are very interested in the red laser. The interest of some cats diminishes with age and has nothing to do with any particular characteristics of the cat observed. (The possible exception is that I think the two smarter cats lose interest first as they get older and get tired of chasing more quickly.)
Most importantly, cats who lose interest are very skilled hunters. It is not a lack of instinct that causes them to lose interest. Moving the light in a way that mimics the prey will lure an attack. My remaining observations are limited to one woman, who literally “asked” me to track the green laser around the room. She sat in the same place and looked at me until she heard me pull out the laser.
Once she heard the informant signal she got into the attack location and scanned the floor for light. She immediately attacked the light frantically. I deliberately placed the light behind the object and watched her enter the tracking mode. When she stopped to take a breath, her interest in lasers gradually diminished. I have 3 different colors of lasers: red, purple and green. The colors are different.
She never ignored red. Will chase it for a few minutes and say a short break. The blue laser pointer lost focus after chasing it several times. The purple laser may only catch her attention briefly. She chased the three people at first, but quickly withdrew with Violet. All three lasers are metal pointers with multiple batteries (which rattle) and have an open button that makes a clicking sound when pressed. When Lilly heard the scratching sound or the rattling of the battery when I pulled the metal case out of the stand, she would go into attack mode. She searches the floor when she clicks. Then attack as soon as you see a point.