UK woman installs locks on fridge and cupboards to prevent 10kg pet cat from stealing food

UNITED KINGDOM ― Pet owner Sara Matthews, 47, has resorted to extreme measures to help her obese cat Keith lose weight.

Ms Matthews, who adopted Keith for her daughter's 10th birthday, never thought that it would be a struggle to get her 10kg cat to stop snacking.

The pet owner who hails from Bristol, told news agency Mirror UK that she forked out £2,500 (S$4,635) last year to install childproof locks on her fridge and cupboards to make sure Keith doesn’t steal any food.

“At first he would clamber in when you opened the fridge and I was just so worried he would get trapped without us noticing," she said.

“As it's gone on, we've had to put more and more locks on every cupboard with food in. It doesn't matter whether it's a circular knob handle or a pulley, he will find a way in.”

She explained that Keith began putting on weight when she first brought him home and then decided to make him an indoor cat because others would overfeed him.

Ms Matthews has also spent over £2000 on him over the years with Keith needing medication to help sort problems with his eyes and ears.

“At one point we had food specially made for him as he had a urinary problem and the usual food he had was high in calories so I couldn't risk him eating it," said Ms Matthews.

“Last year, we even paid  £2,500 for his blood tests for Cushing’s disease and diabetes but they came back negative. Because of his size, there was also a concern that he might not wake up from any anaesthetic he had taken," she added.

Being on antibiotics also caused Keith to have further stomach problems, said Ms Matthews, so the feline now has to have food with an appetite stimulant to make him want to eat, which exacerbates the weight issues.

Keith has his own  Instagram account with over 87,000 followers. MALAY MAIL