Broughty Ferry cat Zorro wins PDSA slimming award

A CAT who was so fat he struggled to groom himself has been crowned Scotland’s pet slimmer of the year after shedding a fifth of his body weight.

Fat cat Zorro sliced through the flab to be crowned Scotland's pet slimmer of the year by PDSA. Picture: PDSA

Zorro, from Broughty Ferry near Dundee, finished top cat in the annual PDSA Pet Fit Club, and runner-up overall for losing 1.9kg and 13cm from his waist.

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The ginger cat weighed 9.4kg, double the recommended weight, when it started the diet six months ago.

Owner Linda Petrie is delighted to see Zorro with renewed energy, and said the pet fit club has also served as a lesson for herself.

“It’s just been totally life-changing for Zorro, given that he is now much more active and can keep himself clean a lot easier,” Ms Petrie said.

• Heavyweight pets are a real knock-out in slimming stakes

“He’s got so much more energy and he’s dashing about the house, which he’s never done before.

“At the first weigh-in they showed me how much Zorro should be having at each meal. It was absolutely shocking as I used to give him that just for breakfast.”

Rabbit Poppy from Bridge of Don, Aberdeen, also performed well in the competition, losing 17% of her body weight.

The brown and white pet was a third heavier than she should have been when she started the diet club at 3.3kg.

She lost 0.5kg and owner Donna Mason said she will now think twice before feeding Poppy treats.

“I’m delighted with how well Poppy has done she’s like a whole new bunny,” she said.

“PDSA Pet Fit Club has been an amazing journey and makes you think twice before giving that little treat to your pet because you know how quickly it can spiral out of control.”

A bulldog who was so lazy she needed to be bribed with ham to take exercise was crowned the overall winner of the competition.

• Help lead the way in sponsoring pet slimmer

Daisy, a six-year-old from Middlesbrough, shed a quarter of her bodyweight in six months.

PDSA senior vet Elaine Pendlebury said: “Zorro and Poppy look absolutely amazing since shedding the pounds in Pet Fit Club.

“The weight loss means they will feel much fitter and happier. They both still have a little way to go to reach their ideal weight now, but it’s important to remember that both cats and rabbits shouldn’t lose weight too quickly. But they will feel the health benefits as they continue to gradually slim down.”

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