Community effort preserves feral cat colony

Community members in Pictou County are working together to make sure a colony of feral cats will still have a place despite development happening on the property they call home.

Mike Mcgrath has been caring for the feral cats, which originated in the Maritime Steel Factory. The century-old steel factory was demolished last year, but not before a small building was renovated on the site to allow the cats to have shelter and safety.

Volunteers have been feeding the cats as well as spaying and neutering them and then releasing them.

Pictou County developer Jamie Macgillivray now owns the property and is planning to begin development, but reached out to Mcgrath to come up with a plan to protect the cats before the project moved forward.

Currently, the property has large portions covered with concrete and brick from the foundations of the old buildings.

The plan is to move the cats to the southern end of the lot near a wooded area, so that they will be safe while work is done to remove the unwanted material.

For this, Mcgrath reached out through the Feral Cats of New Glasgow Facebook page asking people to help by donating to cover the costs of a baby barn for shelter and fencing to contain the cats while work is done.

“To accomplish this we need a fairly large baby barn and fencing,” Mcgrath wrote. “Jamie is supporting us; however, I can't expect him to shoulder the total cost of the shelter so I am hoping that some of our Facebook followers may want to make a small donation to our cat shelter and fence project.”

By midweek the post had reached more than 10,000 people and donations began to pour in. To date, more than $1,600 has been given for the project.

Donations continue to be accepted at the New Glasgow Veterinary Clinic. E-transfers can also be sent to feralcatsnewglasgow@gmail.com.

“Every donation and every donor is very important and I want you to know I sincerely appreciate it,” Mcgrath told those who donated.

Macgillivray said he hopes to do a residential development on the site.

“We have almost finalized the environmental work on one section and are in the process of planting a number of trees and discussing residential development options with the town,” Macgillivray said.

Mcgrath sees the change as positive.

“This is an extremely positive contribution to the redevelopment of the New Glasgow waterfront and I see this as very positive for the cats in the long term,” Mcgrath wrote. “Once completed you will have the opportunity to walk the trail, see the cats and possibly sit on a park bench while you enjoy their company from a distance and the river front scenery. The cats will have a new building with a secure fence around it and the land will be free of debris from the old foundry.”