A cat in France was so badly neglected by his owners that he acquired two pounds of dreadlocks on his back.

Shocking pictures of what has now been dubbed the "rasta cat" were posted to Facebook by volunteers from the 'Radeau des Animaux' animal rescue center. He was saved by volunteers after he was abandoned in Ferel, in France's Brittany region.

Dominique Bacot, the head of the animal center, said that the male cat who has since been named Chamade was covered in long tufts of unkempt fur on arrival - so much so that they had turned into dreadlocks.

This condition happens when cats shed their undercoats, but it becomes trapped under the top layer of fur, causing it to become matted. This is why cat owners are recommended to groom more than just the top layer of their pet's fur.

Because of the extent of Chamade's matting, volunteers were unable to brush it out and had no option but to remove the fur completely.

As per the Daily Mail, Bacot said he "could not even clean [himself] anymore, to the point that it created impressive tufts.

"We have cut about 2.2 lbs of hair off after it clumped together into dreadlocks. Everything was on its back, where the cat could not lick itself."

Another volunteer said of the cat's predicament: "This generally happens to animals with long hair that have not been looked after for a long time."

Thankfully, this is a story that has a happy ending and the cat, who is believed to be nine years old, was promptly adopted by a loving family after his dreadlocks were removed.

He was also adopted alongside another cat, Chad, also nine, who had to have a number of dreadlocks removed by volunteers too.

Good luck in your forever home, Chamade!

A cat in France was so badly neglected by his owners that he acquired two pounds of dreadlocks on his back.

Shocking pictures of what has now been dubbed the "rasta cat" were posted to Facebook by volunteers from the 'Radeau des Animaux' animal rescue center. He was saved by volunteers after he was abandoned in Ferel, in France's Brittany region.

Dominique Bacot, the head of the animal center, said that the male cat who has since been named Chamade was covered in long tufts of unkempt fur on arrival - so much so that they had turned into dreadlocks.

This condition happens when cats shed their undercoats, but it becomes trapped under the top layer of fur, causing it to become matted. This is why cat owners are recommended to groom more than just the top layer of their pet's fur.

Because of the extent of Chamade's matting, volunteers were unable to brush it out and had no option but to remove the fur completely.

As per the Daily Mail, Bacot said he "could not even clean [himself] anymore, to the point that it created impressive tufts.

"We have cut about 2.2 lbs of hair off after it clumped together into dreadlocks. Everything was on its back, where the cat could not lick itself."

Another volunteer said of the cat's predicament: "This generally happens to animals with long hair that have not been looked after for a long time."

Thankfully, this is a story that has a happy ending and the cat, who is believed to be nine years old, was promptly adopted by a loving family after his dreadlocks were removed.

He was also adopted alongside another cat, Chad, also nine, who had to have a number of dreadlocks removed by volunteers too.

Good luck in your forever home, Chamade!