Volunteers struggling to care for cat colony at landfill

A few animal lovers are doing their best to care for a cat colony taking refuge at 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 volunteer Jocelyn Davis.

She and others feed the cats, fundraise to 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 the felines.

"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. 

"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 to build the cats a permanent structure.