A common misconception is that cats are self-sufficient creatures capable of surviving on their own. They are well known for being independent; they are said to spend most of their time outside and only enter the house for food and grooming. However, some cat breeds require frequent maintenance for their fur, and failing to do so could have disastrous consequences.
For years, Hidey the cat suffered because her owner could not afford to give her regular tidiness. When Hidey was first discovered by the rescuer, she was in such terrible shape that they mistook her for a cat curled up under a blanket. Others likened the image to a scene from a science fiction movie, notably a creature from the film “Alien,” as it was so startling. The man had merely come to check on the health of his old relative’s cat; he had no idea that another animal was hiding in the same residence. Not even he could have identified the enigmatic creature concealed within.
“It darted out from under a bed,” Paul Russell said in a statement to PEOPLE. “At first, I thought it was a cat wrapped in a blanket. The next day, when I crawled down into the eerie old cellar, I found it nestled in a corner. At that moment, I exclaimed, “My God, this is a cat!”
The couple from Churchill, Pennsylvania, made the decision to care for both animals after learning about Hidey, a 14-year-old cat who had been abandoned for years and had earned her nickname from her habit of hiding. The staff at the Animal Rescue League Shelter & Wildlife Centre planned to remove the matted fur that had accumulated on Hidey’s body as soon as possible.
The cat’s new owners, the Russells, gave her a name and explained that Hidey’s prior owner had Alzheimer’s and had lost awareness of her surroundings. They assumed that Hidey’s weight and declining health prohibited her from taking care of herself properly, which led to the manufacture of these mats. Since then, Hidey has come to signify the value of keeping an eye on the wellbeing of senior folks and their pets.
“While pet companionship can bring many positive benefits to the elderly, owning a pet is a significant responsibility,” stated Dan Rossi, CEO of the Animal Rescue League Shelter. In the event that a friend, neighbour, or family member who has a pet begins to experience mental decline, he encouraged everyone to make sure there is a support network in place.
When the folks who found Hidey found out that Hidey’s owner had transferred to a nursing home because of Alzheimer’s, they contacted the Animal Rescue League Shelter and Wildlife Centre in Pittsburgh. The poor cat’s fur had grown into dreadlocks that were six to eight inches in length, suggesting that she had probably been abandoned for up to two years.
A veterinarian named Dr Yaelen Levitzki helped liberate Hidey from her matted fur, and she said it was the worst matting she had ever seen in a cat. She described the surgery in a Facebook video, and Hidey received a tranquillizer to make sure she was comfortable.
The medical staff noticed that Hidey was feeling much better after shaving off pounds of matted fur from her body. According to the shelter, Hidey’s matting had gone untreated for years. When Hidey’s owner was relieved of duty, she was given to a family member, marking the beginning of a new chapter in her life.
