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Volunteers struggling to care for cat colony at landfill

A cat colony has been taking refuge in the Pollard's Point dump for years, and a few cat lovers have been doing their best to care for the animals, but say money is getting tight.
A group of cats at the dump in Pollard's Point find homes in some makeshift shelters. (CBC)

A few animallovers are doing their best to care for a cat colony taking refugeat the Pollard's Point dump.

About 100 felines have been living in the landfill, inside makeshift shelters volunteers made for them.

"Tarps, old swimming pools, fridge doors, fish tubs there are many things they are made of. It's amazing. They are very sturdy. You can stand up on top of them," said volunteerJocelyn Davis.
Jocelyn Davis says a group of volunteers try to keep the cats at the dump fed and sheltered, but it's a lot of costly work. (CBC)

Sheand othersfeed the cats, fundraiseto spay and neuter them, and try to find them owners.

Davis and other volunteers formed White Bay Scaredy Cat Rescue just under three years ago to help thefelines.

"It'll be three years in February, and to date we have 249 cats rescued," she said.

Angela Wicks, another volunteer, said it's been a few years of struggle trying to pay for food and veterinary bills.

"Continuously we have online auctions, we sell tickets, we have bingos, we do whatever we can to make a buck, constantly. Basically 365 days a year."

Forgotten felines

Davis said the lean-to homes have been at the dump since the 1980s. The group said if not for them, these discarded domestic pets would be completely forgotten.

One of the lean-to shelters made from items discarded at the landfill. A volunteer group estimates between 80 and 100 cats live in these makeshift structures at the dump. (CBC)
"People caused the problem and we are trying to fix it. We are the wrong people that's trying to fix it the ones that caused it should be but we got big hearts and we can't see animals suffer," she said.

But just caring for the animals doesn't solve the larger problem.

The group has enough food to help the cats get through this winter, but they're looking for extra cash tobuild the cats a permanent structure.