The owners of an overweight cat have responded to online comments accusing them of "animal abuse", claiming the enormous kitty is "on a diet".
Photos and videos of Liznya, the Russian domestic cat, were shared by her owners under the username @fedupcat since early 2020.
Gaining 8,800 followers since joining the platform, her owners have received comments which brand Liznya as "obese".
Her owners insist that Liznya gained weight following a pregnancy and is not overfed, explaining that they are controlling her diet to stop the cat from putting on weight.
Answering questions on Liznya's page, they said: "There are some misunderstandings. We have never tried to overfeed Liznya.
"Some people wrote we do it on purpose. How do you imagine that? She even refuses to eat any other food than her diet food.
Liznya, the Russian domestic cat.
fedupcat/Instagram
"It is true that our cat was pregnant and spayed after it, but we do not claim this is the exact reason for her to become obese.
"We wrote that she began to gain weight quickly since her pregnancy and even quicker after it."
Liznya's owners claimed to have been to the vets multiple times and, in an Instagram reel, showed themselves measuring out 29g of Royal Canin diet food for her.
The post continued: "She has been to the vet many times and has changed her diet plan more than once during this time.
"Now she seems to have stopped gaining weight with her current plan, but still there are problems with losing it.
"We can’t show her to a vet too frequently, but we will definitely do it again and again if needed.
"We do not support any kinds of abuse and it is not OK to threaten the owners.
"And we also can’t ignore that some point out that our cat was slimmer in 2020.
"It is true, but she did not gain much weight since then, look at other old pictures taken from a different angle to make sure.
"And yes, Liznya can walk, she even loves to play hunting! We agree she needs to be more active to lose her weight.
"If some people still do not believe the above, well, that is your opinion, but please do not spread false information and do not wish the owners to die.
"It is a bit sad to read messages like this."
The record for the fattest domestic cat to have lived was an Australian Tabby which weighed 21kg (3st 3lbs). In 2018 the cat Bronson, was quickly given a diet overhaul by his new owners Mike Wilson and Meghan Hanneman.