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Shelter Employees Couldn't Recognize A Pet Dumped Overnight, But After Shaving The Fur They Found A Beautiful Cat
Sadly, the folks at Douglas County Animal Care & Services in Gardnerville, Nevada, are well accustomed to receiving anonymous animal dumping outside of regular work hours, but this one was even more heartbreaking than usual.
On arrival at the shelter one morning, shelter supervisor Liz Begovich and her collegues came across an animal carrier, with a huge ball of unidentifiable fluff inside. “All we saw was a matted mess,” Liz told The Dodo.
What could this poor creature be? The shelter staff’s first guess was that it must be a dog, given that dogs are generally less fastidious about their grooming than cats. It was time to open the carrier and find out. “We couldn’t turn him around because of the way he was shoved in the carrier,” Liz said. “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.”
It was really bad. The cat was a prisoner of its own fur, barely able to move under the tangled, matted layers. He was overweight due to lack of exercise, and whoever had owned him must presumably just brought food and water and put it right under his nose.
“We immediately took him to the vet where they sedated him,” Liz continued. “They shaved about 4.5 pounds of hair off of him. It filled a full-size kitchen trash bag.” The sudden freedom immediately lifted the confidence of the previously dreadlocked cat, who they cheekily named Bob Marley. “Once the hair was off, he was walking around. I saw him looking up at the counter thinking, ‘I can jump up there.’ I thought, ‘No you can’t.’”
Bob now has a loving home, who can help him recover from years of neglect, as well as shed all those excess pounds he is carrying around. At 10 years old he still has many good years ahead of him! He has turned out to be such a handsome devil, and was adopted within a few days.
The authorities are making inquiries to try to find Bob’s previous owner, the man who dumped him was captured on CCTV and the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office is asking for the public’s assistance in identifying this person. Perhaps he was a Good Samaritan, having rescued Bob and dropped him at the shelter for treatment, nobody knows. Liz herself is unsure, but has doubts about any good intentions from the mystery man. “Normally, when someone leaves an animal after hours, there’s usually more to the story. It’s typically not a Good Samaritan who found an animal on the side of the road,” she said. “We would really like to know the backstory. There could be other animals in this house, wherever this cat came from, who are in the same condition.”
Either way, the truth will surely emerge eventually. The main thing is that Bob is happy, loved and free of his shackles. Scroll down below to check him out for yourself, and let us know what you think in the comments!
RELATED:
An unidentified man was caught on CCTV leaving an animal carrier in front of an animal shelter recently
Image credits: Douglas County Sheriff’s Office
Image credits: Douglas County Sheriff’s Office
The shelter staff’s first guess was that it must be a dog, given that dogs are generally less fastidious about their grooming than cats
Image credits: Douglas County Animal Care & Services
“We couldn’t turn him around because of the way he was shoved in the carrier”
Image credits: Douglas County Animal Care & Services
“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”
Image credits: Douglas County Animal Care & Services
The cat was a prisoner of its own fur, barely able to move under the tangled, matted layers
Image credits: Douglas County Animal Care & Services
“They shaved about 4.5 pounds of hair off of him. It filled a full-size kitchen trash bag”
Image credits: Douglas County Animal Care & Services
It turned out the formerly dreadlocked cat, who the shelter cheekily named Bob Marley, was also severely overweight
Image credits: Douglas County Animal Care & Services
The new dashingly handsome Bob was put up for adoption, and now has a loving home
Image credits: Douglas County Animal Care & Services
As for the previous owner, some people came to defend the man that was caught on tape
However, others weren’t buying it
What do you think? Let us know in the comments!
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What do you think ?
Hans 7 years ago
Mixed feelings here. I agree that it seems unlikely that this person was a good samaritan and just brought the cat. But even in the contrary, that is, he negleted that cat, prosecuting him based on the video footage might discourage other people neglecting their animals from at least abanndoing them at places where help is close. However, any single case of animal neglect is one too many.
Monika Soffronow 7 years ago
My guess is that the owner was suffering from severe depression and finally found the strength to at least drop the cat off at the shelter. The cat seems to be quite allright with people, which would mean that it was not treated with cruelty, even though it was horrendously neglected. Depresion could definitely be the root of this, and no, it should not be prosecuted, also for the reason Hans is pointing out.
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Alec 7 years ago
We don't know the story, so I think it makes no sense to try to pass judgement (maybe he was a good Samaritan who found the cat, though that seems unlikely seeing how the poor thing could barely move, maybe he was the neglectful owner, or maybe the cat belonged to an elderly relative who recently passed away, who knows), what I do know is that the last thing shelters should do is scare people away from turning in unwanted animals, and that is what they run the risk of doing by getting the police involved. Besides, does anyone really think he wouldn't have gotten judged if he'd turned up with a cat in that condition during business hours and done 'the right thing'? I'm glad the cat is safe, but I really think they should let it go.
Ari 7 years ago
So shelters should just take abused animals and not try to take any steps toward addressing abuse at its source? The owner of the cat could have other pets in terrible condition that need to be rescued, or could get a new pet and neglect it. That's why the police gets involved. A case of abuse or neglect should not just be "let go", there have to be consequences for the people committing these acts.
Load More Replies...
Giovanni 7 years ago
People are not divided in saints and monsters and judging them based on assumptions is always wrong.
Basil 7 years ago
Everyone always wishes the world was so black and white, especially when it comes to animal welfare issues, but it just isn't. That doesn't make this case any less sad or frustrating though.
Load More Replies...
Lynda Momalo 7 years ago
Maybe it belonged to an elderly person who was senile (e.g., his mother) who was overfeeding and neglecting the cat because they didn't know better, and he had to remove the cat while they were sleeping.
Alec 7 years ago
That was also my first thought, though I'm not sure we are talking of a catnapping in the middle of the night, or if the original owner might have passed away. I remember an old family friend who just kept forgetting that she had already fed her cat, luckily it was a short haired cat, so matted hair wasn't an issue, but the thing is that while we knew she was in no shape to care for that cat, we also knew how devastated she would be if we were to take him from her She was recently widowed and that cat was her world, so we tried to keep an eye on the situation as best we could, but in the end we prioritized her well-being over the cat's. The cat lived to be fourteen, and she passed away shortly thereafter. It was not ideal, but I still think it was the right thing to do.
Load More Replies...
Tricia Evans 7 years ago
I don't think he should get in trouble for dropping the cat off. He could have easily let it die and no one would have known any better. If someone makes an effort to get an animal help then they should not be hunted down and charged for doing the right thing. Punishing someone for stepping up and doing the right thing is wrong. This is why more people DON'T step up.
Rick Penn 7 years ago
I don’t care what the story is … as long as ol’ Bob got help! Personally, I think it was probably a guy who had an elderly family member who let Bob get into this shape, and the guy was afraid he would be held responsible, so he dropped Bob off after hours. I don’t think the guy is really trying to hide anything … (I mean, he had to know there was a security camera there, and he surely wasn’t trying to hide his face). He was just probably afraid they would try to charge him for the care ol’ Bob rec’d … and he probably didn’t have the money(?) Whatever the reason … if they go after this guy like HE is a criminal (maybe he is, maybe he isn’t), then everyone IS right … less people will try to help, or get involved in the future. Let it go and let’s just be happy that Bob is (apparently) doing much better! Thank you, sir, for bringing him in … whether he was yours and things just “got out of hand”, or whether you brought him in because someone else let him get into this shape!
Kevin Hare 7 years ago
It's all about context. He may have been a relative of an old person, or disabled who had the cat. Obviously it wasn't starved so it doesn't make sense someone would have such a well fed cat with a fairly expensive carrier an the same time, show such disregard for grooming unless it became unmanageable and they were unable to pay for care. I tend to feel the person dropping the cat off had no choice and was caring enough to transport it to a shelter.
Carol Harrison 7 years ago
Kitty could have belonged to a family member, perhaps one who was quite elderly. Upon their passing, Kitty's condition came to light. So...not guilty.
Phoenix Hocking 7 years ago
Not knowing why the gentleman dropped the cat off in the middle of the night, I'm just glad he did. Perhaps he works during the day and couldn't come in then. Maybe the cat belonged to a friend or relative who died. There are a lot of scenarios that could be true, and without knowing the true facts, I prefer to give the guy the benefit of the doubt. In the end, he didn't just dump the poor cat in a field somewhere to fend for itself, but took it to the shelter where it could be taken care of. That's got to count for something.
Hans 7 years ago
Mixed feelings here. I agree that it seems unlikely that this person was a good samaritan and just brought the cat. But even in the contrary, that is, he negleted that cat, prosecuting him based on the video footage might discourage other people neglecting their animals from at least abanndoing them at places where help is close. However, any single case of animal neglect is one too many.
Monika Soffronow 7 years ago
My guess is that the owner was suffering from severe depression and finally found the strength to at least drop the cat off at the shelter. The cat seems to be quite allright with people, which would mean that it was not treated with cruelty, even though it was horrendously neglected. Depresion could definitely be the root of this, and no, it should not be prosecuted, also for the reason Hans is pointing out.
Load More Replies... Alec 7 years ago
We don't know the story, so I think it makes no sense to try to pass judgement (maybe he was a good Samaritan who found the cat, though that seems unlikely seeing how the poor thing could barely move, maybe he was the neglectful owner, or maybe the cat belonged to an elderly relative who recently passed away, who knows), what I do know is that the last thing shelters should do is scare people away from turning in unwanted animals, and that is what they run the risk of doing by getting the police involved. Besides, does anyone really think he wouldn't have gotten judged if he'd turned up with a cat in that condition during business hours and done 'the right thing'? I'm glad the cat is safe, but I really think they should let it go.
Ari 7 years ago
So shelters should just take abused animals and not try to take any steps toward addressing abuse at its source? The owner of the cat could have other pets in terrible condition that need to be rescued, or could get a new pet and neglect it. That's why the police gets involved. A case of abuse or neglect should not just be "let go", there have to be consequences for the people committing these acts.
Load More Replies... Giovanni 7 years ago
People are not divided in saints and monsters and judging them based on assumptions is always wrong.
Basil 7 years ago
Everyone always wishes the world was so black and white, especially when it comes to animal welfare issues, but it just isn't. That doesn't make this case any less sad or frustrating though.
Load More Replies... Lynda Momalo 7 years ago
Maybe it belonged to an elderly person who was senile (e.g., his mother) who was overfeeding and neglecting the cat because they didn't know better, and he had to remove the cat while they were sleeping.
Alec 7 years ago
That was also my first thought, though I'm not sure we are talking of a catnapping in the middle of the night, or if the original owner might have passed away. I remember an old family friend who just kept forgetting that she had already fed her cat, luckily it was a short haired cat, so matted hair wasn't an issue, but the thing is that while we knew she was in no shape to care for that cat, we also knew how devastated she would be if we were to take him from her She was recently widowed and that cat was her world, so we tried to keep an eye on the situation as best we could, but in the end we prioritized her well-being over the cat's. The cat lived to be fourteen, and she passed away shortly thereafter. It was not ideal, but I still think it was the right thing to do.
Load More Replies... Tricia Evans 7 years ago
I don't think he should get in trouble for dropping the cat off. He could have easily let it die and no one would have known any better. If someone makes an effort to get an animal help then they should not be hunted down and charged for doing the right thing. Punishing someone for stepping up and doing the right thing is wrong. This is why more people DON'T step up.
Rick Penn 7 years ago
I don’t care what the story is … as long as ol’ Bob got help! Personally, I think it was probably a guy who had an elderly family member who let Bob get into this shape, and the guy was afraid he would be held responsible, so he dropped Bob off after hours. I don’t think the guy is really trying to hide anything … (I mean, he had to know there was a security camera there, and he surely wasn’t trying to hide his face). He was just probably afraid they would try to charge him for the care ol’ Bob rec’d … and he probably didn’t have the money(?) Whatever the reason … if they go after this guy like HE is a criminal (maybe he is, maybe he isn’t), then everyone IS right … less people will try to help, or get involved in the future. Let it go and let’s just be happy that Bob is (apparently) doing much better! Thank you, sir, for bringing him in … whether he was yours and things just “got out of hand”, or whether you brought him in because someone else let him get into this shape!
Kevin Hare 7 years ago
It's all about context. He may have been a relative of an old person, or disabled who had the cat. Obviously it wasn't starved so it doesn't make sense someone would have such a well fed cat with a fairly expensive carrier an the same time, show such disregard for grooming unless it became unmanageable and they were unable to pay for care. I tend to feel the person dropping the cat off had no choice and was caring enough to transport it to a shelter.
Carol Harrison 7 years ago
Kitty could have belonged to a family member, perhaps one who was quite elderly. Upon their passing, Kitty's condition came to light. So...not guilty.
Phoenix Hocking 7 years ago
Not knowing why the gentleman dropped the cat off in the middle of the night, I'm just glad he did. Perhaps he works during the day and couldn't come in then. Maybe the cat belonged to a friend or relative who died. There are a lot of scenarios that could be true, and without knowing the true facts, I prefer to give the guy the benefit of the doubt. In the end, he didn't just dump the poor cat in a field somewhere to fend for itself, but took it to the shelter where it could be taken care of. That's got to count for something.
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