A CHUNKY cat who tipped the scales at nearly 11kg has started to beat the bulge thanks to his new strict diet regime.

Jinky was taken in by Cats Protection’s Glasgow Adoption Centre following the sad death of his owner - and it soon became clear the 13-year-old had been living the life of luxury as an indoor cat, most likely with an aversion to exercise.

The pet weighed in at 10.98kg when he was first admitted, more than double the recommended weight for a normal cat.

Finding himself in a new home was understandably a shock for Jinky, and he went off his food for a while, leading him to begin losing weight straight away. He eventually settled in and soon got used to his prescribed diet.

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Charlaine Tighe, deputy manager at the adoption centre, said: “The funny thing is Jinky is actually very fussy with food and we found in order to get him to eat he likes for one of us to be his dining companion.

“For a big lad who barely tolerated us he now can’t get enough interaction, and it’s not for treats. We think his dinners at home were probably human foods, but here he is given special obesity food, with a weekly treat of chicken.”

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Thanks to his carefully monitored diet his weight has already dropped to 9.5kg.

Staff at the centre are hoping to eventually get him down to a much healthier 8kg while he is still in care, while any potential owner will have to commit to sticking with the weight loss diet to reduce it further, ideally down to a more slender 6kg.

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Jinky has been thoroughly checked over by a vet, and while he doesn’t appear to have any significant health problems, obesity can put cats at higher risk of diabetes, arthritis and heart problems.

Jinky will continue to be cared for until rehoming activities are resumed. When he is ready for rehoming he will require an experience owner committed to keeping him healthy.

Further advice on helping cats to eat healthily can be found at www.cats.org.uk/help-and-advice.