BIBLE HILL - Finding cats and kittens dumped around his barn is nothing new for Bernard McCallum.
Last week, McCallum, of Brookfield, thought he would be able to help catch the person responsible for the latest abandonment of cats at the Bible Hill-based Truro Raceway.
McCallum felt that when he got the licence plate number of the vehicle that dumped a feline family at the Truro Raceway action would be taken against the culprits. Unfortunately, he has been left frustrated as his plan did not go as hoped.
McCallum, who trains horses at Truro Raceway, noticed an unfamiliar van stopped on the grounds last Monday afternoon. When he saw a man removing something from the van and putting it on the ground he went over to see what was taking place. What had been left behind was a young female cat and her five kittens, as well as a small amount of cat food.
A call was made to the provincial SPCA but after a couple of days without a response from an agent the RCMP was contacted.
"The RCMP said they would talk to the people and get back to me but I haven't heard anything yet," said McCallum. "The provincial SPCA called Friday and asked me to tell them what happened.
"Everyone says they need a description of the man who dumped the kittens. That doesn't make sense to me. If the van wasn't reported stolen and it wasn't loaned to someone it must have been the owner. If there's a hit and run they don't ask for a description of the driver. I was trying to focus on the plate number because I thought that would be the most use."
The Colchester SPCA said it could not help with the animals because the shelter was full and it had issues with a virus.
The frightened kittens and their mother had run into thick brush but McCallum and a couple of others searched until they found them.
"They'd been someone's pets," he said. "They were just scared because they didn't know where they were at first but they're really friendly now."
The animals were infested with fleas so medication was purchased from an animal hospital to treat them. They were also taken into a temporary home until adoptive families can be found.
"I'm tired of getting abandoned cats," said McCallum. "Most years there are 20 or more dropped down here. We get a lot around the time school starts. It's frustrating because we're trying to take good care of our own cats and irresponsible people dump theirs on us. People think they can throw them out here because there are barns but sometimes the cats already living here won't let new ones come in."
Anyone interested in adopting a kitten or the mother cat, who will be spayed before going to a home, can e-mail adoptacatbiblehill@gmail.com
