A BRADFORD cat ballooned to weigh 70 per cent more than she should after her owner mistakenly believed she was pregnant and fed her double portions.

The fat cat, of Low Moor, now weighs 18.5lbs after she was adopted six months ago when she was in a poor state with scabs and spots all over her body and appeared to be starving.

She is being used as an example of why people should not overfeed their petys by the PDSA charity.

"Lazy Lucy the cat has eaten and slept her way to a colossal 18.5lbs (8.4kg) - almost 70 per cent more than she should be - after her owner mistakenly believed she was pregnant and fed her double portions," a PDSA spokesman said.

Owner Vicky Wood, 85, said she was wrongly told that Lucy was pregnant with four kittens.

She said: "Because I was told she was pregnant I kept her indoors and gave her extra food as I thought she needed it.

"However, when the time came for her to give birth nothing happened.

"I took her to the vets and they said she wasn't pregnant.

"The PDSA have advised me to put Lucy on a diet.

"I'm hoping to get her to lose some weight but it's going to be a challenge because she barely wants to move all day and doesn’t want to go outside."

The ginger and white moggie's case was highlighted as part of PDSA's study which reveals a combination of snacks, scraps, takeaway leftovers and even booze continues to fuel an obesity crisis among pets in Yorkshire and the Humber.

The charity spokesman said 29 per cent of dogs in Yorkshire and the Humber are fed table scraps or leftovers as their main meals.