A matted and miserably malnourished moggie was rescued by a member of the public after being discovered alone on the streets of Wandsworth.
Five-year-old Penelope, a long haired Chinchilla Persian, was discovered with her fur so tangled that staff at Battersea Dogs and Cats home were forced to shave off the knots and clumps.
The Chinchilla Persian is a breed that Battersea rarely sees as last year, out of more than 3,000 cats that were brought in, only 14 were Persian.
SHORT BACK AND SIDES: Penelope post haircut
Battersea’s head of catteries, Lindsey Quinlan, said: “Penelope was in a really grubby state when she arrived, who knows how long she’s been on the streets.
“She’s still quite young and rather small so it’s lucky she was found and rescued by someone before she ended up in a worse state.”
Lindsey added Penelope was found without a microchip and they have no information as to where she came from.
BUSHY BARNET: Penelope before being groomed
It is unlikely that Penelope’s previous owners will come forward, as Battersea said out of the 40% of strays they receive yearly, on average only 6% are claimed.
However, Battersea are hopeful of finding Penelope a caring new home soon and her new owners will be willing to keep her well groomed to avoid her becoming a matted moggie again.
