YOU'VE heard about fat cats, but these kitties really take the biscuit.

Staff at a North Yorkshire animal centre have had to put ten fatty felines on strict calorie-controlled diets.

The unwanted moggies at the Blue Cross centre at Thirsk are all overweight, but several have been classed as obese, as they are almost double the weight they should be.

One cat, Bunty, is so gigantic she can not be spayed, and another called Lou can not even climb onto the shelves in the cat pens because she can barely move.

Most of the cats were handed over to the Blue Cross by people who could no longer care for them. Only one of the overweight cats came in as a stray.

Deputy centre manager Denise Mathers said: "The number of fat cats that have come in here over the past few months is absolutely ridiculous - we've had to put them all on strict calorie-controlled diets in a bid to get them down to a normal weight. We don't have an explanation for this strange phenomenon."

She added: "Apart from not being able to re-home these cats because people want slimmer pets, the extra weight is very bad for the cats' health, as it puts a terrible strain on their hearts and little legs."

Updated: 10:36 Friday, April 13, 2001