Fat Cat Tuesday: The pawful truth

It is "Fat Cat Tuesday", the day of the year by which, according to campaign group the High Pay Centre, the average FTSE 100 chief executive will have earned more than the average annual salary.

The story started trending on Twitter, so we asked big-boned felines on the social network to not only show off their claw-some body shapes but also to give their views on the pay disparity.

Bella may look relaxed in this picture - but her owner, Elspeth De Montes, says she "feels that if someone survives a London commute, then they deserve a small bonus not in excess of 10% of their yearly salary".

@GroutSandra shared this picture of former stray Eric, saying: "Biscuits are his overpaid salary." Now he is his fat happy self, he likes to prowl the stairs and hunt for leftovers in the other cats' bowls. All the other cats are his underdogs, as he rules the stairs with an iron paw.

Leo, a five-year-old Persian from Moseley, Birmingham, is quite relaxed about the pay gap. But that is because, he tells us, "plans for world domination are in progress - right after this nap".

Serge di Naccio tells us Matilda may be catnapping right now, but she feels Fat Cat Tuesday highlights an unjust situation.

Daniel Attilio's cat Band-Aid is thinking about the money. Through the medium of Daniel, he tells us: "Boss pay may b excessive but if I bust my butt 2b and carry responsibility of boss, I want the compensation."

Meanwhile, ragdoll Douglas has decided the best option, for him at least, is to go back to sleep. His owner, Lois, tells us: "I think he may be perplexed by the seemingly unfair pay structure in the UK and would like to see increased pay for hardworking cats. However, he also cautions against drawing firm conclusions on ropey financial analysis, and so I think he would like to see a better assessment of Fat Cat earnings in the future for a more well-rounded report on the UK pay gap."

Paul Le Breton waited until his fat cat Binky was rested and ready for interviews before he asked him about #FatCatTuesday. He tells us: "He has woken up and feels the same as everyone else - these people need to paws and think about others!"

The Mayhew Animal Home points out that the hashtag #FatCatTuesday could be used for many other purposes, including rehoming those that don't have families.

"It's the camera angle" says Geraldine O'Donnell. Really Geraldine? Anyway, we give the last word to Milo, who thinks #FatCatTuesday is "a conspiracy dreamt up by dogs".