Warwickshire vets prescribe swimming for an overweight Banbury cat that weighs as much as a French Bulldog

Moses the fat cat weighs more than double his healthy size – as much as a French bulldog - and he has been started on the unusual hydrotherapy sessions in a bid to slim down.

The nine-year-old cat piled on the pounds after refusing to go outside or exercise, despite owner Jenni Joshi, from Banbury, putting him on countless diets.

The podgy puss is now undergoing swimming lessons at Avonvale Veterinary Centre in Wellesbourne, Warwickshire.

Staff say his weight loss mission is going swimmingly as he aims to shed his bulk.

Olivia Stokes, veterinary hydrotherapist, said: “When he first came to us, Moses was nearly 10kg in weight. His owner said he had been on diets and been encouraged to exercise before but had still not lost weight.

“So, we decided to try a different approach with hydrotherapy. It’s a very unusual approach for cats. I have been a qualified hydrotherapist for two years and I have never experienced hydro with a cat before, so Moses was a first.

“That is because cats don't usually like water and, sure enough, on his first taster session Moses was not impressed at all. He needed a lot of encouragement.

“I tried gradually increasing the water level for him, like we would for a dog, but this wasn’t well tolerated. I also tried cat treats but he wasn't interested.

“So, then I ran the treadmill dry with no water to just get him used to walking, adding water and found lowering him into the treadmill worked best,” she said.

“Moses now sits in the tank as I increase the water level, then knows exactly what to do. Once he has been walking for 13 minutes, I lift him up, raise the water level further and swim him for a couple of minutes to give him a full body workout.”

Moses is now losing weight and is far more active at home. He has lost .6kg of his original 9.7kg

“That’s a loss in body weight of almost four per cent in about six weeks, which is perfect as we don't want to lose the weight too quickly, said Ms Stokes..

“I am very proud of Moses’ progression; he’s even walking with the incline on the treadmill now.”

Moses’ owner Jenna Joshi, a clinical nursing manager at Avonvale, is thrilled with her pet’s progress.

She said: “Moses has always been a big cat but had gained a lot of weight over the last three years.

“I’d been keeping him on a strict diet but this didn’t help at all. He just was not interested in going outside, exercising or playing with toys.

“I asked my colleagues whether we could try hydrotherapy to help his mobility and hopefully lose some weight.

“I could see a difference straightaway. After his first hydro session he came through the cat flap, which he hadn’t done in a long time.

“We are still having regular weight checks, still doing hydrotherapy and making good progress.

“It was difficult at first but now he doesn’t complain and knows exactly what he needs to do when he goes for his sessions.”