Sadly there are far too many older people who live in isolation, not really able to take care of themselves and without any friends or family to check in on them. If an isolated senior has a pet, that animal is at risk, too. When a utility workman was at an elderly man’s house, he noticed two things: one, the man didn’t seem able to take care of himself; and two, the cat. Sinbad was living in the basement and he was in terrible shape. The poor cat was encased in an unbelievable mass of matted fur, some of it dragging behind him like a carpet. Clearly an intervention was needed, so he called The Anti-Cruelty Society, a local animal welfare organization.
The rescuers freed Sinbad from his basement “prison” and whisked him to the shelter. The first order of business was to deal with all that matted fur: it was so bad they didn’t even know what breed of cat he was. According to Elliot, a staffer at the shelter, “He was so tolerant and sweet during the grooming which was grueling. It took hours.” Ultimately, they removed five pounds of matted fur. The actual cat, a badly malnourished Persian, weighed less!
With the fur out of the way, Sinbad’s medical needs could be attended to. As Elliot recalled, “We had to force feed him for a bit to make sure his digestive system would keep working and not hurt his kidneys.” His leg muscles had wasted away, further complicating his recovery. However, this little Persian was a fighter: his spirits improved and he started responding well to treatment. “Now he’s getting lots of TLC and attention. His diet is being monitored and the goal is to help Sinbad gain weight and grow back his glorious coat!” Elliot ended up adopting the tough little cat. “I’m just astounded at how he just loves people, even though people haven’t always treated him very well. It’s a lesson we could all learn.”
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