Neat! Not to toot my own horn too much, but I put together a similar project for my cat's exercise wheel. Hackaday featured it a while back: https://hackaday.com/2023/04/02/spy-on-your-cat-to-make-sure...
His exercise routine is somewhat variable but he usually goes for a short jog a few dozen times a day. Most often at 5 am, for whatever reason.
Since the article I also built and hooked up a treat dispenser for extra motivation.
> Most often at 5 am, for whatever reason.
Cats are crepuscular animals. They are "programed" do start at 5 AM, hunt, and go back to sleep until afternoon. Living in homes tweaked them a little, but the 5 AM thing is still strong in a lot of them (mine included).
https://www.animalhumanesociety.org/resource/cat-keeping-you...
Have you seen evidence he understands that running causes treats to be dispensed and is running more as a result?
> Most often at 5 am, for whatever reason.
Poo time?