Saturday morning saw me and the children heading out on our monthly visit to the local slimming class.

As always, once up on the scales, we waited with bated breath as the leader gave us it straight.

Not in the same way as Margery Dawes of Little Britain’s Fat Fighters fame, but blunt and to-the-point all the same.

We stood, surrounded by posters of the tubby, huge and giant – those who had clearly gone overboard on their favourite tit bits and hadn’t left the sofa in years – to await the news.

At our last appointment, just 1gram had been lost, but this time, we were thrilled to learn, the weight had tumbled off, with the shedding of a further 3.5g.

The diet, it appeared, was working.

And we each gave Gordon, our ginger Tom, a pat to congratulate him.

It was embarrassing to be told that our cat should slim down. I was so ashamed.

We’re responsible owners, only feeding him one sachet of food – none of those posh brands and designer cat milks – and a few crunchies, twice a day.

Which, I have to add, is nothing compared to my neighbour’s cat, Tinker, who has access to food virtually around the clock.

Yet while Gordon piled on the pounds, Tinker remained lithe and slinky.

It wasn’t hard to fathom out why – our cat is the Jim Royle of the cat world, only leaving the sofa to eat or relieve himself.

We’ve had quite a few cats and they have all been active, with big territories.

We’d never experienced one who never left the house unless carried.

We would spot other people’s cats leaping around, while the most ours ever did was lumber onto the bed.

But we didn’t worry, even on learning that pet owners can be fined for having obese cats and dogs.

Then our vet had a word, and Gordon was signed up to the feline equivalent of Weight Watchers.

He was put on a special prescription-only food and told to get more exercise.

He’s got used to the slim-quick snacks, which 10 out of 10 cats definitely don’t prefer, and the accompanied walks along the road – not easy when he wanders into every garden.

Gordon started out at 7kg – he now weighs 6.55kg which I’ve since realised is nothing compared to some Titanic Toms.

A friend sent me a newspaper cutting of a gigantic 16kg ginger Tom (still less than the world fat cat record of 18.5kg).

I’ve stuck it on Gordon’s food cupboard.

He’s not the brightest and if he thinks it’s his picture, he may reach his goal weigh of 5.5g sooner rather than later.