Malnourished cat found dragging 5 pounds of fur makes incredible recovery

CHICAGO – Meet Sinbad, the abandoned Persian cat who won the internet's heart with his amazing recovery story after friends at Chicago's Anti-Cruelty Society shaved off 5 pounds of matted fur.

Investigators with the Anti-Cruelty Society received a call from a utility worker about Sinbad, who he saw while working in the basement of a home, according to WGN-TV.

"They had the pictures on the camera phone and they said, 'Elliott, we found you a cat,'" laughed Sinbad's new owner Elliott Serrano, a humane education specialist at the Anti-Cruelty Society. "I said, 'Really?'"

It took the team hours to shave off the matted mass of fur that kept Sinbad from moving his back legs properly. Unable to see where the hair ended and the skin began, it was a slow process that ended up requiring anesthesia. Sinbad was also severely malnourished.

"He was so sweet and tolerant during the process that we knew he was a special little guy," Serrano recalled. "After all that he's been through he's a sweet, loving cat. How can you say no to that?"

Hanging out with @sinbad_cosplaycat! He was brought into the @AntiCruelty Society with FIVE POUNDS of matted fur. They were able to shave him and are slowly getting him back to being a healthy kitty. We'll have his story and talk to his new owner on Wednesday's @WGNMorningNews. #SinbadTheSurvivor

A post shared by Marcus Leshock (@marcusleshock) on Jan 16, 2017 at 9:00am PST

The Anti-Cruelty Society is launching a new program that will focus on helping pet owners who can no longer care for their pets. If you are in that situation, you can contact them at: (312) 644-8338 or anticruelty.org.

You can also follow Sinbad's adventures on Instagram and Facebook.