How to make my cat tired during the day

As I posted last month, my cat is waking me up during the night almost every day... https://yulielog.blogspot.com/2026/01/the-3-am-revolving-is-my-cat-severed.html

So my solution was taking him out and making him tired before we went to bed. Seriously, I am not treating him as my baby; he is almost 16 years old now, and I have been his cat servant since 2012. This is a new behavior, and I started suspecting he might have demanthia or something like decreasing sensor ability, etc.

However, I couldn't take him out every day because it has been cold, and I didn't want to go out with my cat at night. So, when he starts mewing at night, I use the laser pointer to play with him or open the window for a while, or just feed him more and more and more.

 

But this morning, strong sunshine entered my place through all the windows I have. It felt like "spring".  Even though I had a pretty unproductive morning with my messy head, I went out with Achilles during the afternoon.

 

I think he loved it so much that he escaped... Somehow his wintercoat was not tight enough, and he could escape from the leash which was connected to his winter coat. 

I started following him, but he is a cat, pretty old but really agile and fast...! He ranaway from me and hid under the cabin(?). I could barely see him. I felt today was not my day.

I was like a stupid one, bent down and waving a stick (cat snack) to seduce my cat. After a few minutes, he started showing his body out and chewing grass, kind of 30% of his body was out. And finally, I could catch him!!!

I’m glad today ended with him safe in my arms rather than lost under a cabin, but the struggle continues. Will he sleep without a pause tonight?

Managing a senior cat’s changing senses and nighttime energy is a steep learning curve. Does anyone else have experience with 'cat dementia' or nighttime restlessness in older cats? I’d love to hear your tips in the comments—clearly, my current plan involving 'laser pointers and escaping into the wild' needs some work!