Horrifying photographs show a neglected calico cat named Hidey with matted fur forming ‘dreadlocks’ on her body.
Images of the overweight feline, who belonged to an elderly man with Alzheimer’s, were posted on Facebook Friday by the Animal Rescue League Shelter & Wildlife Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
The post said: ‘This poor cat was brought to our clinic yesterday after her elderly (owner) had to move to a nursing home.
‘She suffered from severe matting (dreadlocks, really), the likes of which had been negleThe Facebook post continued: ‘Our Medical team shaved off the pounds of intertwined fur from her body &, needless to say, this cat is feeling so much better now!
‘She will be cared for by a distant relative of her previous owner & finally have a chance at a happy & healthy life.’
Paul Russel’s 82-year-old distant male relative with Alzheimer’s had relocated to a nursing home, The Dodo reported.
Russel told the website: ‘When they put him in the nursing home, I thought, ‘Hey, he has a cat.’ The house was still open, so I went down and left some food for the cat until we figured out what we’re going to do.
‘Then somebody mentioned that he had a second cat. So I started searching around, and suddenly this huge creature darts out from under the bed and runs down to the cellar, and I thought, ‘What was that?”
He recalled to the website: ‘At first I thought it was a cat who had a blanket draped over her that she dragged down. But no — it turned out to be Hidey. She hid down in the corner of the cellar.
‘I’m down there with a flashlight looking — it was almost like a horror movie. And I found her hunkering in the corner. Probably very scared. Probably in a lot of pain.’
Two pounds of fur were shaved off Hidey’s body, according to The Dodo, which said that her 82-year-old owner probably couldn’t groom her.
Caitlin Lasky with the Western PA Humane Society told the website: ‘Hidey was really overweight, so that makes it harder for (cats) to groom themselves, and that’s when you see matting happen.’
‘They (staff at the center) hadn’t seen anything like that. Even looking online, I had a hard time finding anything similar, so it’s definitely a unique case,’ Lasky explained.
She added that the vet team had to put Hidey under general anesthesia so they could safely shave off her dreadlocks and that the fur that had accumulated on the feline’s body reached two pounds in weight.
‘Lots of fur. It had to be years of matting for it to get that long. She was overweight as well.’
Hidey, who is 14, and the elderly man’s other cat, 17-year-old Siam, are now living with Russell and his wife Jill, according to PEOPLE.
It is very likely that Russell’s encounter and trip to the vet saved Hidey’s life who got her name for her inclination to hide.
The Russels also own two dogs and an additional three cats, the website said.
The Western PA Humane Society wrote on Facebook Tuesday: ‘Hidey’s new owners have told us she was originally hiding under the bed in her new home, but now is snuggled on a warm cat bed on an open floor.
‘She also begins purring while being held.’
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