Cats are frequently thought of being independent beings who can survive on their own. They are low-maintenance pets since they frequently spend lengthy periods of time roaming outdoors and coming inside just to feed and groom. But some cat breeds have fur that needs to be groomed frequently, and neglecting it can cause havoc.

Hidey the cat suffered years of neglect since her owner was unable to give her the proper grooming. The unfortunate creature was in such awful shape that the first time the rescuer saw the fearful Hidey, they thought it was a cat huddled under a blanket. He compared it to a scene from the science fiction movie Alien. The man had come to see how his elderly relative’s cat was doing, unaware that there was another animal in the house. He was unable to identify the enigmatic animal that was hiding in the same house, though.

Paul Russell told PEOPLE, “It darted out from under a bed.” “At first, I believed it to be a cat with a blanket covering it. The following day, when I entered the eerie old cellar, it was tucked away in a corner. I said, “My god, this is a cat!”

An animal-loving couple from Churchill, Pennsylvania, took both cats into their care after learning about Hidey, a 14-year-old neglected cat who was given the nickname due to her propensity to hide. The staff at the Animal Rescue League Shelter & Wildlife Center then scheduled an appointment and removed the matted fur that had formed over the course of several years on Hidey’s body.

The cat’s new owners, the Russells, who gave it a name, claim that the cat’s former owner has Alzheimer’s disease and is no longer conscious of her surroundings, and they think that the cat’s inability to properly groom herself as a result of her weight contributed to the mats. Hidey has become a poster child for the significance of keeping an eye on the health of elderly people and their pets ever since she was saved.

According to Dan Rossi, CEO of the Animal Rescue League Shelter, “the companionship of a pet can bring many positive benefits to the elderly, but owning a pet is big responsibility.” “Please help them to make sure there is a support system in place if the mental faculties start to deteriorate if a family member, friend, or neighbor has a pet.”

The discoverers of Hidey contacted the Animal Rescue League Shelter and Wildlife Center in Pittsburgh for help after learning that Hidey’s owner had been moved into a nursing facility due to Alzheimer’s. They claimed that the poor cat had most likely been left abandoned for up to two years, resulting in the development of dreadlocks that might reach a length of 6 to 8 inches.

I’ve never seen such significant matting in a cat, according to Dr. Yaelen Levitzki, a veterinarian who assisted in the procedure of freeing Hidey from her matted fur and recorded it in a video uploaded on Facebook. Her fur had taken the appearance of dreadlocks.

Hidey was given a tranquilizer to ensure the cat’s comfort throughout the treatment.

The shelter reported that she had severe matting that had been untreated for years. “This cat is feeling so much better now,” our medical team said after shaving off the pounds of tangled fur from her body.

The cat was resettled with a member of his owner’s family once he was released from that responsibility.