It must tremble

You can do 1% of the effort it you strategically place the toy where the cat will inevitably get it stuck. I have a coffee table with a bottom part where you can store things, so there's a 10 cm gap between the bottom and the floor. Trying to get his toys from under there after he swatted them too hard can keep my cat very busy

They are right about the drama. Making the toy act like it's trying to hide/run for its life makes my cat immediately interested.

That math doesn't work.
99% of the effort is only 99 times harder than the cat.
900 times harder than the cat is 99.889% of the effort.
- Also, vibes based math aside...
  I don't get how this ... makes sense, from an energy expenditure level.
  You have a 3 feet long stick, with a 4 foot long string, with a fuzzy mouse on the end.
  You... flick your wrist, in various motions, such that the toy seems to be ... hiding... then evading! then running, then hiding, then somewhere hard to reach... scittering slightly like it thinks its safe, sniffing for food -ah back to evading!
  Sure, your arm is moving too, maybe you are also turning somewhat, or even walking a bit to certain areas of your place with more cat obstscles.... but you literally have leverage, working for you.
  ... The cat is literally bouncing off the walls, running at 15 mph, climbing up the cat tower, shimmying under the couch or a table, suddenly executing snap turns, sometimes literally in midair...
  ... How on earth does that work out to you expeding more caloric energy than the cat?
  It is even less work on your end if you use a laser pointer, though personally I would not recommend this due to the chance of accidentally injuring your cats eyes.
  
  Well, they probably mean that it feels like more work for us because we also have other shit to do, we're tired, etc. while the cats only sleep and eat the rest of the time. And also, depending on the cat, sometimes they just hide in a corner for a few minutes, run after the toy for 3 seconds then they hide again for a minute, then they run again for 3 seconds and so on. Meanwhile you keep trying to entice them and they're just sitting there while you dance for them with the toy.
  Also, from what I've read, unless you're using treats at the same time as a reward sort of thing, lasers might be stressful for the cats because they don't get to catch anything.
- This assumes an equivalence between working hard and putting in effort.
  
  My ADHD brain relates MUCH more with that than I want it to 😄
- This is what [System.Math]::Floor() does to a mofo

does he mean commander banana?

I definitely make dramatic sound effects when playing with my cat.
- No sound effects for me but I absolutely go "Danana na na nana na" (this is Duel of the Fates) while swinging around a feather on a stick.

Laser pointer is a big help. With one of those, my effort is multiplied tenfold!
- No satisfactory kill and trophy for the cat though.
  
  i hide a treat first and eventually guide her to it