'Skinny' the Fat Cat Reveals 22-Pound Weight Loss on 'GMA'

— -- This fierce feline definitely has the eye of the tiger.

Meet Skinny, as he is now appropriately called, who was found abandoned in a Dallas suburb back in 2012. He weighed a whopping 41-pounds and had a hard time walking more than five steps.

But all that changed when he was adopted by veterinarian Dr. Brittney Barton, of HEAL Veterinary Hospital, in 2013.

Barton started Skinny on a workout regimen including sit ups, underwater treadmill walking and playtime.

But when it came to walking on land, the fierce feline still needed a bit of extra encouragement. In the beginning, the vet would place treats on the treadmill as inspiration to get moving, but Skinny has now learned to hop on the treadmill with the simple sound of treats shaking around.

“The secret is basically the same secret for all of us,” Barton explained of Skinny’s 22-pound weight loss on “Good Morning America” today. “It’s about calorie intake and calories burned. It’s not just about the diets that we used, but trying to figure out ways to get them moving.”

Barton recommends giving pets “green beans and blueberries in lieu of the commercialized [foods].”

Most importantly, she adds, “Try not to love them with food but try to love them with your attention and your time.”