Big Fluff wasn't exactly looking to make friends when Reddit user Ok-One-5683 first got him TNR'ed last summer. The extremely feral feline was badly matted, so the shelter shaved him while he was there. After being neutered, though, something started to shift.
Big Fluff decided to stick around. He made himself at home on the property, hanging out in the cat barn and wood shed with the other community cats. Even better, he stopped immediately darting away whenever food arrived. That was a pretty big win for a kitty who wanted nothing to do with humans.
Unfortunately, all that glorious fluff grew back with a problem. His coat became severely matted again, and this time getting him help wasn't so simple. Ok-One-5683 found a vet willing to sedate and shave him, but first Big Fluff had to actually get into a trap.
He had other ideas.
Rather than immediately spending around $1,000 on a drop trap and vet visit, his caretaker decided to try something much slower: earning his trust.
Armed with yummy wet food and a whole lot of patience, Ok-One-5683 began cutting away the mats one tiny snip at a time. Some days Big Fluff allowed nothing. Other days they managed four or five snips. Most importantly, he stayed in control of how far they went.
Then came the big fluff win.
One day, he simply let his caretaker finish. Instead of running, Big Fluff patiently stayed put, occasionally looking up while the remaining mats were carefully cut away. He even allowed some brushing afterward.
For a formerly untouchable feral cat, that's huge. Big Fluff got relief from a coat that must have been terribly uncomfortable, but something even better came out of those tiny snips: trust.
Hopefully, future grooming will be a little easier now that Big Fluff knows these helping hands are on his side.