'I'm saving Sumo the fat cat!'

Tanya Boland is slaving away over a hot stove when all of a sudden she is overwhelmed with the feeling she is being watched.

Spinning around, she finds the brazen culprit ready to pounce as he stares lustfully at the chicken dinner she is making.

However, vastly overweight Sumo is on a very strict diet.

The nine-year-old domestic short hair was surrendered to the RSPCA at the end of June when his owners moved house and were unable to keep him.

Since Tanya put Sumo on a strict diet, the overweight moggy has started to shed the kilos. Source: New Idea

"Sumo is the fattest cat I have ever seen," RSPCA veterinary nurse Tanya tells New Idea.

But Sumo quickly captured her heart. "He’s a big softie, he loves cuddles," she gushes.

Tanya and her 12-year-old daughter Aislynne are looking after Sumo as he embarks on a weight-loss program for animals.

No-one knows what his diet consisted of before he was surrendered, but now Tanya, 41, restricts him to three small meals of low-fat food a day.

"I have to feed him on a small step as he finds it difficult to bend his head," she says.

Read the full story in this week's New Idea magazine, on sale now!

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