I looked up the full article about his case and they wrote that the shaving happened because he has to walk on a treadmill to help him loose weight. They submerged that treadmill under some water to help ease stress on the poor cat’s joints. They also take him getting stuck as a good sign because he used to be so fat he wasn’t able to move at all and his attempt at escape is proof that he’s becoming more energetic.
Then again you really should notice long before a cat gets this fat. Unless you turned off your brain or something. This is way too fat to be considered an accident.