When this innocent 9-year-old creature arrived at the French shelter Le Radeau des Animaux, a mix of astonishment and compassion overwhelmed the volunteers, leaving them in shock.
The abandoned cat, clearly neglected to the point where negligence knew no bounds, stunned everyone at the shelter. And most sadly, Chamade, as they named him, wasn’t the only one in such deplorable conditions.
Chamade had impossible dreadlocks on his back, a sight the volunteers had never seen before in short-haired animals like cats. The innocent kitten was abandoned in Ferel, in the French region of Brittany, where he was rescued by the shelter’s angels. Besides not receiving the love and care he deserved, the poor feline suffered from significant obesity that needed to be addressed. “We cut around 1 kg of matted fur into dreadlocks. Everything was on the back, where the cat couldn’t groom himself,” they added.
They were shocked, as this usually happens in long-haired animals neglected for a long time, but never in a cat and not to this extent.
Chamade was abandoned by his owners with over 1 kilo of dreadlocks weighing on his back. It takes a heartless person to do such a thing! Cats develop the ‘dreadlock’ appearance when their undercoat sheds and becomes trapped under the outer layer of skin, in a process known as matting. Most owners focus only on the outer coat when grooming their cat and neglect the tangled knots that develop underneath. If the matting isn’t removed, it can develop into hard, tightly knotted skin close to the animal’s skin, which can only be removed by shaving it. That was the case with Chamade’s fur; it had become rigid skin, and the volunteers couldn’t save his coat just by brushing it. They didn’t give up, and after hours of effort to give him the appearance he deserved and ensure his health, the shelter shared a picture of Chamade, where he can now be seen without dreadlocks and happy.
But the best part came later; Chamade touched the hearts of loving people and found adoptive parents along with another kitten named Chad, who, like him, was cured of dreadlocks, and they had each other during the process. Now life rewarded them by giving them a home together forever. It’s wonderful!
Chad is also 9 years old, and now, together with Chamade, they enjoy their new home. Don’t leave without sharing this impressive story that reveals how far negligence and human cruelty can go. Having a pet is not a game!
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