A Tiffy Taffy Highlight Story: Sometimes, there are tales that are simply too amazing, too lovely, or too incredible to keep hidden. That’s why we dig through the archives and bring some of them back for you to enjoy again. They may make you smile or bring a tear to your eye, but they’re always meant to add a bit of positivity to your day. This story is from December 2016. Enjoy!
At the end of 2016, an animal activist found an abandoned and neglected cat. Its fur was so matted that it had turned into dreadlocks. The rescue workers then worked tirelessly to shave off two pounds of the fur. The cat had deteriorated to this state after her owner was admitted to a nursing home due to Alzheimer’s disease. The Animal Rescue League Shelter and Wildlife Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania posted pictures of the poor cat.
The center stated, “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, which had been neglected for years. Our medical team shaved off the pounds of matted fur from her body, and needless to say, this cat is feeling so much better now!” The cat, Hidey, was rescued by Paul Russell, a distant relative of the cat’s owner. Russell had also rescued another cat after the elderly man became too sick to care for his pets.
Animal Rescue Workers Found the Cat With Huge Matted Fur That Resembled Dreadlocks
Speaking to Dodo, Russell mentioned, “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 were 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?’ At first I thought it was a cat with 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 huddled in the corner. Probably very scared. Probably in a lot of pain.”
Animal rescue workers who saw the cat couldn’t believe the matted fur that had accumulated over the last few years. They believed this happened because the cat had become too fat to groom herself properly. Deciding to shave it all off, the workers put her under anesthesia to safely remove her dreadlocks. The shelter put out a statement that read, “She will be cared for by a distant relative of her previous owner and finally have a chance at a happy and healthy life. Please remember to not only check on the elderly in your community, but also check on their animals to prevent instances like this from happening in the future.”
