BRITAIN'S fattest cat is half the moggie he used to be after going on the Catkins Diet.

From weighing 22lbs, the 18-year-old is now a trimmer 11lb.

For the past six months, Fidget has been on a low-carbohydrate regime, which has seen the weight fall off him.

But owner Shaun Kirk, 43, who runs a pet shop in North Shields, North Tyneside, said Fidget was still as lazy as ever.

He said: "He isn't the most active cat. He goes up on the back roof and wanders up and down the street, where everyone knows him.

"But he always comes back for his tea of an evening."

Fidget, ironically named after a character in the Time Bandits movie because he was so small as a kitten, is setting an example to the country's cats and dogs.

New research has revealed obesity is on the rise in pets as the health of the nation's animals declines.

And as with humans, the increase in the numbers of paunchy pets is being blamed mainly on overfeeding, lack of exercise and poor diet, according to the study.

The research for pet insurer More Than found that almost 80 per cent of vets are seeing increasing numbers of obese pets, yet 90 per cent of owners believe their pets are not overweight.

They also found that three-fifths of vets are reporting a growing number of illnesses and disorders in pets such as diabetes and arthritis.