fat cats falling victim to diabetes

Vets have found that cats are imitating their owners' couch potato lifestyle.

As a result of eating more and exercising less, more than a third of cats are overweight and the number of cases of feline diabetes has risen five-fold in 30 years.

Edinburgh University researchers estimate that one in 230 - or up to 400,000 pet cats - is diabetic.

Cats are not the only pets to be losing the battle of the bulge. A quarter of dogs are clinically obese and overweight rabbits and even hamsters are also a common sight in vets' surgeries.