Ireland - Barney Bubble the cat was rescued over a year ago with an unusually large nose – and now, the cause of his mystery ailment has finally been revealed.

The unique feline built up a close bond with another cat named Boss over the past few months, and, as reported by People, both had lived as strays until Rescue Cats NI took them in.

"When we got back to the rescue he was so hungry and immediately scoffed his food," Barney's rescuers said.

Although the cat could still breathe well with his oversized nose, the shelter workers were still quite worried.

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Initially, they feared it could be a tumor, but thankfully, that wasn't the case.

Instead, it was assumed to be some kind of fungal infection, and Barney has now been given the proper medication to treat it.

Last month, Rescue Cats NI shared an update on Barney's recovery via Facebook.

"It's a long road to recovery, about a year but this is progress in a couple of months," they wrote under a photo of his noticeably smaller snout. "The most placid big cat I think we have ever had."

Barney was even recently allowed to sniff the outside world for the first time, but he quickly returned to his warm home of his own free will! Thanks to his sweet nature, this special cat was able to purr his way into the hearts of the online community.