Cat lovers tackle stray colonies on Nova Scotia First Nation

An animal-loving couple spends their nights and weekends rescuing feral cats on Nova Scotia'sSipekne'katik First Nation in an effort to cut down the number of wild colonies.

Quentin Syliboy and Heather Woodin can often be seen driving through the community,their grey Prius packed with kittens peering out the windows.

"I think our record was four times in one day," said Syliboy.

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The couple makes an ideal rescue team, since Woodin works as provincial administration co-ordinator for the SPCA and Syliboy lives on Sipekne'katik First Nation. He regularly gets tips from family members about where animals are hiding.

"Mainly from my aunts and uncles telling me who has what and we assess what we can do from there," Syliboy said.

Rescue stakeouts

Their stakeouts typically leave the pair crouching under trailers with a hockey stick to entice the wild felines. Theyoften focuson those in poor health or are pregnant.

"We've prioritized what our focus is because there are so many cats in need in the community right now," said Woodin

They estimate there are hundreds of stray cats on Sipekne'katik First Nation, if not thousands.In the last year, the couple has rescued 78, mostly cats, but also a few dogs, a python and a gecko.

Bullets and other injuries

Their first trip is to the SPCA in Dartmouth or Truro to be assessed. Syliboy says most of the animals are malnourished with poor teeth, while others have life-threatening injuries.

"We actually took a stray in and when the vets were assessing her, they actually found pellets embedded into her skin. So somebody out there was mistreating this animal and shooting it with a pellet gun," he said.

The main goal is to get pregnant cats spayed in order to control the wild population.

On a volunteer's dime

Syliboy and Woodin foster many of the rescue animals and nurse them back to health. That task comes with high pet food costs, not to mention the odd toy. Then, there are the travel expenses all on their own dime.

"It's been a lot of driving, a lot of gas money, but I think it's well been worth it. Transportation is really an issue for a lot of folks," Woodin said.

As a resident of Sipekne'katik, Syliboy understands why people in the community are skeptical of the rescue operations.

"At first they think we're trying to take stuff and they're a little apprehensive," he said. "But once we explain what we're doing and how much of a help a service like this can be, there's a lot of joy there and just thankfulness.

"A lot of these cats are really, really nice and the only thing that they're missing is a forever home."