MASSIVE moggie Smudge is a cat who got too much cream.

And the heavyweight feline is beginning to feel the pinch in her waistline - because she tips the scales at a whopping one-and-a-half stone.

Fat cat Smudge came into the care of animal rescue service workers at Pawz For Thought in Sunderland, after her previous owner took her to the vet to be put down.

She weighed 1st 5lbs (8.8kgs) - double the weight of an average sized cat - and was so big she could not clean herself.

It is thought her weight could be down to luxurious eating, though she is also undergoing thyroid test to see if this is making her balloon.

The six-year-old black and white moggy is now on a health kick to shed those unwanted pounds.

Under the care of volunteer helper Jean Frost, Smudge is on a diet of tinned cat food, and may move on to dry food. She has already lost a pound and it's hoped she could soon be a streamline feline.

Jean said: "It's starting to come off and I will get her down to her normal weight."