Rescue cat recovers after shedding 5 pounds of matted fur

After being discovered dragging around 5 pounds of matted fur, Sinbad the Persian cat is looking like a brand-new kitty and settling in to his new home.

Sinbad, 9, was found by a utility worker who had been working in the basement of an elderly man. His owner, who was unable to care for himself, surrendered the cat to The Anti-Cruelty Society, an animal shelter in Chicago, according to Love Meow.

The staff at The Anti-Cruelty Society took Sinbad in and spent hours shaving off the matted mass of fur, even using anesthesia. Sinbad was unable to use his back legs properly and was severely malnourished. When he came out, Sinbad weighed under seven pounds.

"He was so sweet and tolerant during the process that we knew he was a special little guy," Elliott Serrano, a humane education specialist at Chicago’s Anti-Cruelty Society, told Fox 6 Now. "After all that he's been through, he's a sweet, loving cat. How can you say no to that?"

Serrano took Sinbad home to foster him, and on the second day, the cat had a different idea, sitting on Serrano’s chest and purring and chirping aloud, Love Meow reported. Serrano adopted Sinbad.

"Now he's getting lots of TLC and attention,” Serrano told Love Mow. “His diet is being monitored and the goal is to help Sinbad gain weight and grow back his glorious coat!"

The Anti-Cruelty Society is launching a new program to focus on helping pet owners who can no longer care for their pets.

In December, a cat in Pennsylvania was found covered in years’ worth of matted fur after his owner died. The 14-year-old cat’s owner had Alzheimer’s.