HER name is inspired by the infinite scale of the universe, but sadly for Cosmica the cat, some things can be too big.

She has been branded one of the fattest cats in Camden after picking up extra meals around Swiss Cottage.

Now, amid fears for her health, owner Elaine Bodenitz has appealed for people not to feed her pet, however pleading she looks.

Ms Bodenitz said: “The other day we thought she had had a stroke and so we took her down to the Royal Veterinary College in Camden. The vet walks in and just says, ‘30 years I’ve been practising, and I have never seen a cat as big as this’.”

The heavyweight feline is very popular around Swiss Cottage where she waddles from home-to-home picking up extras from neighbours sucked in by a friendly purr.

She has been seen being given buttered toast and chicken feasts by her fans.

But now Cosmica weighs in at 15 kilos –and has been ordered on to a new low-calorie food diet.

She has been told to cut out the chicken and “Dreamies” – a brand of cat biscuit-style treat.

Cosmica was checked out last year by experts who “stuck a thermometer up her jacksie” during a home visit, according to Ms Bodenitz.

“After that we got the low-calories cat food in from Kilburn,” she said.

“But she was still eating packets of chicken, tins of gourmet cat food. Now she is a barrel, she rolls around. She is so loved in the area, everyone stops to say hello – she is such a lovely cat. But the vet says she is too big.”

Cosmology is the study of outer-space and theories about how the universe began and its eventual fate. Cosmica had already been named when Ms Bodenitz adopted her from an Italian neighbour who moved away.

Like humans, overweight cats can struggle to groom themselves properly and are prone to arthritis and diabetes.

Official advice to owners worried about cat obesity is that they should able to feel their pet’s ribs and “see a waistline when you look at them from above”, according to the Cats Protection charity.

Owners should weigh out food portions each day but not attempt to “starve” cats with “crash diets”.

“It is hard to notice weight change in a cat you see every day, so regular weighing is a useful way to monitor progress,” the charity added.

“Indoor cats may also suffer from stress or boredom, which can in turn cause them to overeat. Placing food inside feeding balls can encourage your cat to work for their meals.”

In extreme circumstances, pets that get dangerously overweight can be seized under the Animal Welfare Act.