How to get cat more exercise?

[SpotTheCat]

I've seen some My Cat from Hell, but I didn't know that the guy did his own thing.

He really likes a little egg with a weighted bottom, but of course that's because it has a hole that dumps out treats. Maybe if I could figure out how much to feed him/day, I could feed part of his dry food in that?
I've made him some catnip toys, which he likes, but loses interest in quickly, and also sort of likes feather things and strings.

Could you put all of his dry food in to it or something like it?

 

[Carson213]

My cat is overweight and I'm worried about his health. Does anyone have tips to get him to exercise more??
As of right now, the only exercise he really gets is walking up and down stairs, around the house, and jumping on and off of my bed.

He's had a cat tree before and didn't use it at all, and he's not interested in laser pointers.

We have a cat harness from his last owners, so I've begun to take him on walks, however, he is not clear on the part of walks where he walks. He walks like 5 feet, then lies down. Will he eventually want to walk longer?
I'm also going to try to do some agility course stuff, like jumping between two chairs, over a jump, etc.


Help???

how much time do you let him outside each day? i am new to cats but they seem to like to be outside at least 16 hours out of 24.

 

[neo71665]

Your cat is getting old. With it being overweight that pushes it a bit. I have Siamese, well let me say my son has them because I hate cats, lol. Your cat is getting old and most likely won't want to play much.

 

[Dinogrrl]

A senior cat won't play as much as a younger cat, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't try playing with them! It keeps them active as they get older, which is good for their muscle tone and joint health, and it also keeps them mentally stimulated. My 12-year-old cat definitely doesn't play as much or as hard as my 5-year-old (who I am convinced is a border collie in a cat body), but she still enjoys investigating new things, playing with her mousies, chasing the younger cat around, and having her evening crazies.

Just like human senior citizens, senior cats need physical activity too!

 

[Isadora]

I know this post is focused on exercise, but have you looked at the food angle to help him lose some weight? More specifically, what kind of food / how often he's getting fed? I have a bit of a problem with that with my own three cats. My two senior cats are on the trim side but my younger cat is rather fat. He loves to play though, so lack of exercise isn't his problem. He just eats too much!

 

[black_cat]

I know this post is focused on exercise, but have you looked at the food angle to help him lose some weight? More specifically, what kind of food / how often he's getting fed? I have a bit of a problem with that with my own three cats. My two senior cats are on the trim side but my younger cat is rather fat. He loves to play though, so lack of exercise isn't his problem. He just eats too much!

He's getting two cans of Fancy Feast wet food every day (1 morning, 1 evening, because they're half the size of most cans) and free fed Instinct brand kibble. I want to start doing measured amounts of kibble, but I don't know how much to give.

 

[SpotTheCat]

He's getting two cans of Fancy Feast wet food every day (1 morning, 1 evening, because they're half the size of most cans) and free fed Instinct brand kibble. I want to start doing measured amounts of kibble, but I don't know how much to give.

Can you not give him dry food? I find it makes my cats put on weight very easily

 

[black_cat]

Can you not give him dry food? I find it makes my cats put on weight very easily

I don't want to cut him off all at once, especially considering he's having so much right now, but I have no idea how much he's currently eating
Maybe I'll measure how much fits in his bowl, then see if he eats a whole bowl every day/how much is left, then I can cut it down some by measuring it out

 

[SpotTheCat]

I don't want to cut him off all at once, especially considering he's having so much right now, but I have no idea how much he's currently eating
Maybe I'll measure how much fits in his bowl, then see if he eats a whole bowl every day/how much is left, then I can cut it down some by measuring it out

sounds good

 

[black_cat]

^^this makes me happy