BY the time you read this article I may be a television star – or I may have had my two seconds of fame on local television news.

I was interviewed by ITV Meridian and the piece will have gone out in the evening news on Wednesday. I am fully expecting to hit the cutting-room floor but do let me know if any of you see it – I only get West Country TV at home.

The news piece was about an obese cat that is finally managing to lose weight as the owners have got a new puppy which the cat loves to play with.

It is great to hear these stories because I know that owners really struggle to get idle, obese cats to exercise. The trouble is that without exercise these cats get caught in a vicious cycle, they start to put on more weight therefore exercising becomes more of an effort and they are even less willing to exercise.

If your cat is relatively lazy then feeding small amounts of food that the cat has to hunt around the house to find can be one answer.

Playing with cat toys and chasing toy balls is good exercise but some cats are simply not playful.

There are toys that a cat has to knock around to get the food out and these can also help. In the absence of increased exercise then diet is the only option but the two in combination work best.