This is the moment a chubby cat tied to a post outside a shop makes the best of the situation by using the slippery ground as a makeshift treadmill.

The video of the cat doing its best to get its daily workout in was recorded in the city of Xi’an in northern China’s Shaanxi Province on Sunday, 14th November.

The cat drew a small crowd of people who stood around recording as the determined feline walked on the spot.

The footage was posted on social media where many netizens wrote that they thought keeping a cat on a leash, especially such a short one, was cruel.

One netizen on the Chinese social network Sina said: “It’s inappropriate to tie such a short rope.”

Another wrote: “It’s not funny at all, the rope is so short, it can only do that.”

However, some netizens argued that the cat was being well cared for and looked much happier than most stray cats.

One netizen wrote: “This cat has been living like this for many years. It eats and drinks every day and has a warm nest made of foam boxes in winter. Compared with stray cats, it is very happy.”

It is not clear who owns the cat, but several netizens suggested it might belong to a worker from the shop seen just next to the cat in the footage.