How can you make a cat take more exercise?

Cat owners always say their cats could not possibly have been dining at the neighbours?
Cut the cat biccies. Obviously not needed. Never had cat biccies in my day.
Buy a video of fish and leave it on all day. This will at least exercise his neck muscles as he watches the fish while you are out.

perhaps get a dog

My vet suggested using Senior moist food, whatever the cat's age, which has fewer calories, and I have changed the dry nibbles to a light version.

One of my cats will chase the light of a laser torch, but the other looks on with no interest at all. They both sleep for most of the day but are in and out of the cat flap at night. I have a motion sensitive trail camera which recorded on average 60 video clips of comings and goings per night. I used to think they were in all night! I really don't know how one could make a cat more active.

my three darlings are overweight and the vet says to get them to excersise more so Ive tied a couple of tiny soft toys to a bit of wool and dangle them as I would for a kitten, they always respond. my cats are house cats as I live near a v busy arterial road and after one accident I never want to see any of them suffering again like that. Cats also like a torch light, I switch off the light at night and shake a small torch and they go crazy to follow the beam. Other than that I just have to ignore the whingeing when they are hungry. To be honest I wish someone would feed me at certain times as that would make dieting easier.

One of our cats is getting very fat. He was owned by a neighbour who shut all her cats out of the house and fed them very little, so he is absolutely obsessed with food. I have to feed him separately or he will everyone else's food and he is quite happy to stuff himself with food till he's sick. If he gets a chance he will steal food from the neighbours. Because of his deprived early life he has never learnt to play with toys and just looks on in amazement when the others are chasing balls or laser pointers. His mother is living with one of our neighbours and is exactly the same. She waddles round looking like a little football on legs.

Are you absolutely sure he doesn't have a health condition? I know hyperthyroidism causes weight loss and a ravenous appetite, not sure what might cause the reverse but is it worth getting him checked out (expensive I know)? Or is he in every other way a picture of health?

Most cats are lazy. I used to cut down on the ad hoc nibbling [that's what gets most of us fat!]So, only a tiny amount of biscuits and when they are gone, they are gone, to use supermarket speak.

Maybe more clockwork mice programmed to shoot scross the floor while you are out? An obstacle/assault course to reach his food? A treadmill?

No, he definitely isn't dining elsewhere!

Yes, check with the neighbours. Have you read "Six Dinner Sid" by Inga Moore? He had six occupants of six terraced houses all thinking that they were the only people to feed him. (it is supposed to be a children's book but it is great for grown-up children too)

At you sure he isn't calling in on any neighbors who are feeding him? You could try a ball of wool, dragging it around so he chases it.

My SIL takes her cat out for walks on a leash. Train Digby?