A nine-year-old cat was named U.K. pet slimmer of the year after shedding 2kg, or 4.4 pounds, on a strict diet and lots of exercise. The cat owner Helen Ebrahim, said Willie used to be so fat because of eating too much back when they were still living in the U.S.

However, the cat started shedding some weight when his owner moved to Pembrokeshire, England three years ago.

Ebrahim told the BBC, "He went to the vet regularly in the States but they would just say 'he's big' and that was the end of that. When I brought to him to the vets here they asked if I heard about the weight loss program. As well as the diet he plays outdoors and we have at least 15 minutes of active play a day.

"He has more energy and you can see a big change in him, not just physically. It's the same as for people, exercise and diet."

Cathy Raymond, a nurse at the Kingston Veterinary Group in Pembroke, oversaw the diet and exercise of Willie.

Raymond said, "With Willie at the beginning we saw him once every three weeks - put him on the scales, got the tape measure out and talked about what he had been doing and eating since the last time we saw him.

"Now he has lost so much weight it is less frequent. It will definitely increase his life expectancy."

Willie bested all the competition across the U.K. to win the award organized by Hill's Pet Nutrition to help awareness on pet obesity.