Strange ball of fur dumped outside animal shelter – What was hiding under 4.5 lbs of fur brings me to tears

I’ll never understand how some people can treat their pets so badly. To stop caring for an innocent animal … it’s among the worst things I can think of!

This story is about a cat completely neglected by its owner. It was left to deteriorate, with the one kindness being that the owner at least found it in their heart to leave him at a shelter when he was on the brink of death.

The cat was found by a staff member at an animal shelter in Nevada, after she opened the door and saw a box. When she looked down, the staffer could barely make sense of what was inside. Soon, however, it became clear that the pile of clumped and ragged fur was actually a cat.

The animal shelter soon shaved off the cat’s matted 4.5-pound coat, and the police are now looking for whoever it was neglected this sweet animal.

Many people have been moved by this cat’s story since the animal shelter uploaded pictures of it on Facebook.

“Sad but at least he had the knowledge to know the cat needed help. Maybe he couldn’t afford proper care for the animal?” one person commented.

And maybe that’s true. Because when a staff member first saw the ball of fur, she couldn’t make hide nor tail of what they were looking at:

Photo: Facebook

At first, she thought it could be a dog.

“We couldn’t turn him around because of the way he was shoved in the carrier. So we took the top off and thought, ‘Oh my gosh, it’s a cat!’ I’ve never seen a cat in that sort of condition,” Liz Begovich told The Dodo.

She also described the cat as being a prisoner of his own fur.

“I’m guessing that wherever he was, he had his food and water right in front of him. There was just no way for him to move.”

Photo: Facebook

After the staff shaved off his fur, it was obvious the cat, whom they named Bob Marley, was enjoying his freedom.

Without all of the fur covering him, the staff discovered that Bob had lost muscle mass from being inactive – possibly for as many as several years. But now he’s ready to meet the world again, as an active, agile cat!

Photo: Facebook

The police are now looking for the person responsible for Bob Marley’s condition. They even took to Facebook and asked the public for assistance, as well as setting up a special tip number.

Photo: Facebook

How was this allowed to happen? We might never know, but at least he’ll soon have a new, loving forever home due to the fact that his story has been shared on social media. Hopefully, he’ll get the exercise he needs!

Please share this story to give these animal heroes the recognition they deserve! We can’t thank you enough for all the good you do for neglected animals like Bob Marley. A deep and heartfelt thank you!