A cat trapped in its own very heavy fur is shorn by the volunteers at an animal shelter
Working with animals may seem, on first impression, a job that is very tempting.
Caring for sweet little puppies, brushing beautiful cats, and at most cleaning their cages when necessary... seen from the outside, it does not really seem like a tiring job.
And yet, anyone who has had the experience of working in a dog kennel or in an animal shelter will be able to confirm that you really need a lot of energy and passion to resist day after day, because the cruelty or negligence of human beings often ends up creating critical situations, which you will be called on to solve.
As in the case of this poor animal, that one day was just dumped in front of the Douglas County Animal Care & Services facility in Nevada! In fact, when the employees first saw it, they did not even know what it was!
It is not uncommon for someone to leave their unwanted pet near the shelter during the night (many people consider them to be like objects to be disposed of at will), and Liz Begovich, who works in the center, can say that she has seen it all!
Yet this case has remained engraved in her memory! First of all, it was evident that the animal had been forced into a cage because the creature was very large and the cage was too small.
Furthermore, it looked like a huge ball of dirty gray hair or fur - that was so thick that was impossible to see the creature's face or muzzle!
At first, Liz thought it was a dog, and tried to make it move so that she could understand better exactly what it was.
Then suddenly, the animal raised its head, revealing its beautiful greenish-blue feline eyes! Liz had never, in her life, seen a cat in those conditions!
The cat's fur had grown all out of proportion, collecting dirt and filth, that like a powerful glue made the mass of fur stick together! Its condition was so disastrous that the need for immediate and drastic became clear.
The cat was taken to the animal shelter's veterinarian and sedated, to allow the removal of its thick and filthy fur.
At the end of the operation, the cat's fur filled an entire garbage bag, weighing over 22 lb (10 kilos)! A load that would seem impossible for this poor cat to carry!
After the makeover, the cat was revealed to be male and was able to show his true face! It was a beautiful ash-colored cat. Suddenly, at that moment, it was clear to everyone what the root of the problem was.
The cat was clearly overweight. This condition prevents cats from cleaning themselves properly and this facilitates the creation of knots in their fur.
These big knots of fur further slow down a cat's movements, making it gain even more weight. In short, a vicious circle in which the cat gets fatter and fatter and the fur continues to grow out of control.
However, all of these conditions, are things that an attentive human being could have very well remedied!
It was clear that Bob Marley (so they nicknamed him because of the "hair" he had before!) had experienced months, perhaps even years of total neglect.
It was also obvious that his owners had probably fed him the wrong foods without ever caring about his health and the condition of his fur.
Fortunately, thanks to Liz and the Douglas County Animal Care & Services animal shelter, today he has found a family that loves him.
Now that he is following a proper diet, he has returned to moving freely after getting rid of his "fur prison" ... and he will certainly live the rest of his life surrounded by the care and affection that he deserves!
