Neglected Persian cat looks like it’s ‘dragging a carpet’ – rescuers spend hours releasing it from 5lbs of fur

There are countless cases when we take a pet on but find we can no longer look after it.

For those of us who care about animals there are organizations we can turn to for help but too many animals remain in the ‘care’ of people who fail to look after them properly.

When humane investigators in Chicago got a call about a cat that had been negelcted so much it looked like it was “dragging a carpet,” they didn’t know what to expect.

Releasing this animal from its cage of fur was not easy, but you won’t believe the transformation.

 

 

Getting lots of questions about Sinbad the Cat so I thought I'd post some photos from when he first came in so you could see why he's so special to all of us… (photos via Josie Niebling)

Posted by Elliott Serrano on Tuesday, December 20, 2016

It was in December 2016 when The Anti-Cruelty Society of Chicago received the call about Sinbad the cat, who was described as a “walking carpet,” according to the Western Journal.

But as the saying goes ‘seeing is believing,’ and the shocking sight spurred them into action immediately.

Sinbad was carrying a matted fur coat weighing over 5 lbs and had lost the use of his back legs. Releasing this cat would not be easy.

Getting lots of questions about Sinbad the Cat so I thought I'd post some photos from when he first came in so you could see why he's so special to all of us… (photos via Josie Niebling)

Posted by Elliott Serrano on Tuesday, December 20, 2016

‘Matted fur, dirt and feces’

“In December of 2016, the humane investigators of The Anti-Cruelty Society went to the home of an elderly man, after receiving a message from a utility worker who said they’d seen a cat in the man’s basement that appeared to be ‘dragging a carpet,'” Elliott Serrano, Sinbad’s new owner, posted on Facebook.

“Upon arrival, the investigator met a man who was unable to care for himself, and a cat that had experienced extreme neglect.

“The cat was an 8-year-old Persian named Sinbad. He hadn’t been groomed in a very long time and was dragging around over 5 lbs of matted fur, dirt and feces.”

Getting lots of questions about Sinbad the Cat so I thought I'd post some photos from when he first came in so you could see why he's so special to all of us… (photos via Josie Niebling)

Posted by Elliott Serrano on Tuesday, December 20, 2016

Shelter workers took on the daunting task of removing years of matted fur.

Hours later when he was finally released, rescuers found that he could barely use his back legs after years of carrying the weight of his fur around. All Sinbad could do was shuffle forward using his front legs.

Getting lots of questions about Sinbad the Cat so I thought I'd post some photos from when he first came in so you could see why he's so special to all of us… (photos via Josie Niebling)

Posted by Elliott Serrano on Tuesday, December 20, 2016

“He was so tolerant and sweet during the grooming which was grueling. It took hours,” Elliott said, according to Western Journal.

“Once free of the mats he just wanted to lie down on somebody’s lap or in his bed.”

Getting lots of questions about Sinbad the Cat so I thought I'd post some photos from when he first came in so you could see why he's so special to all of us… (photos via Josie Niebling)

Posted by Elliott Serrano on Tuesday, December 20, 2016

He found a new home with Elliott Serrano who frequently documents Sinbad’s progress on his Facebook page.

Getting lots of questions about Sinbad the Cat so I thought I'd post some photos from when he first came in so you could see why he's so special to all of us… (photos via Josie Niebling)

Posted by Elliott Serrano on Tuesday, December 20, 2016

Three years later, Sinbad looks like this!

Such a tragic case of a man who loved his pet but couldn’t even take care of himself let alone Sinbad.

Please share to pay tribute to all the people who came to Sinbad’s aid and helped turn his life around.