How do I get the guy active???

My buddy Oscar is slightly overweight and LAZY. All he does is eat, sleep, and visit the litter box. The only time he runs is when Girlie is playfully chasing him around the condo (which clearly annoys him after a while) or to the kitchen area when he thinks it's time for another feeding (where he'll sit and wait for the next feeding time, staring at us like he's trying to make us feed him through Jedi mind tricks). I know that if he gets a little more active he'll get down to a better weight. He and his brother, Obie, were roughly the same weight when we first got them. Obie is fairly active and is almost at his ideal weight. Oscar's still got about 2 pounds to go.

I've tried all sorts of things but he just doesn't seem interested.

Lazer pointer -- he'll swat at it for a moment then give up.

Catnip -- just makes him lazier; he gets high off it then just lays there.

Turbo Scratcher -- prefers to sit on it.

Chase toys -- swat it a few times then lose interest.

Wand toys -- finds it annoying and ignores it completely.


I once took him outside the condo unit thinking maybe I could get him to run (or at least walk) laps in the hallway late at night or climb a few stairs. Poor guy was too scared to move. Just sat there meowing I guess that was for the best though. If he got used to getting outside into the hall we'd have a hard time trying to keep him inside when we leave for work.

Can you guys think of anything else I might try?

Maybe the strategy of "working" for his food might work? For example, placing treats high up in the cat tree or hiding his food dish in a place where he has to walk around to get it?

Has the vet checked him out recently? At age 9(?) I think the vets do a senior blood panel to check for specific things.

Being tired and over weight could be symptoms of thyroid problems. The blood tests are done to check the thyroid.

I have one male that is 6 years old that is slightly overweight. I reduced his dry food and increased his wet food. This has worked for him as he was just getting the middle bulge. I would not change his diet until checking with the vet.

With my lazy one, I try not to let him sleep until I go to bed. Sometimes he sleep through me trying to keep him awake! I tried the wand toys and laser, he just sits and stares at it.

I understand what you are going through. Sorry I don't have much to offer.