The Daily Populous Monday March 25th, 2024 night edition
Authored by theguardian.com and submitted by RedditGeneralManager

An animal welfare charity in western Canada is scrambling to secure the resources needed to care for about 300 cats – all of them seemingly in good condition – after a call came in from a man who described himself as being “overwhelmed” by the sheer number of cats and kittens in his home.

Bruce Robinson told the British Columbia SPCA that he had taken in cats that had been abandoned during the Covid-19 pandemic but that the cost of caring for them had become a herculean task after he lost his job.

The charity had sent staff to his home in the small town of Houston to assess the situation, said Eileen Drever of the BC SPCA. “When asked how many cats he had, I think he said it was like counting bubbles in boiling water.”

The cats were sociable and seemed to be in good condition, she told the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. “You know, he had a huge heart, and he was caring for them,” she said. “And then they just kept multiplying. One cat can have three litters in a year.”

Robinson estimated that the number of cats in his home had swelled to 298, including 15 pregnant cats that were expected to deliver in the coming days.

“I ended up in a crazy situation,” he told the broadcaster. “I made a bad decision … I thought I could handle the cats.”

He had tried to give away the cats, but with little luck. Instead, he found himself spending thousands of dollars a month – at times going without food himself – to ensure they had the 28kg of food a day they needed and to buy cat litter for their 10 litter boxes.

He said he had named each one of the cats. “I love every one of them,” he said. “I wanted to give them a safe home.”

Drever said the SPCA was racing to raise funds and find a building capable of housing the cats while they are assessed by a veterinarian, vaccinated and spayed or neutered before being put up for adoption at centres across the province.

“This is a huge undertaking and it’s going to take resources from around the province to bring these animals in,” she said.

In the meantime, SPCA staff were helping to provide food, supplies and litter for the cats. “He had, the other day, between 70 and 80 newborn kittens,” she said. “That’s why we need to move as quickly as we can.”

She said charges against the cat’s guardian were not being considered, as he was the one who had reached out for help. “Kudos to him for recognising he was overwhelmed,” she said.

It also appeared that he had done his best to care for the animals, even as their population rocketed. “I have never seen so many cats in good condition, they appear to be in good condition,” she said.

“And the fact that they’re sociable is incredible. It’s quite shocking, actually.”