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SYDNEY MINES, N.S. — A Sydney Mines man with a self-professed love of felines has been keeping area strays warm in winter.

Over the past year, Bud Tobin has created nearly 120 cat houses.

The 74-year-old estimates that in total he’s probably built about 500 shelters spanning two decades.

“Most of the people who feed feral cats are just normal people,” said Tobin, a former military serviceman who now works as a commissionaire at the Canadian Coast Guard College.

“When I’m (not working), that’s what I’m doing: I’m in the garage building cat houses.”

Tobin and his wife Carol are the owners of four indoor cats, including some who were once strays themselves. Their house is a cat haven with a bubbling drinking fountain and an outdoor ‘catio’ with a pedway for their beloved pets.

Tobin started helping strays in the late 1990s while working as a security officer at Sydport Industrial Park.

“I noticed there were cats all over the place, so I started feeding them and I don’t know how many houses I built for them. I had houses all over the place.”

At one time, the Tobins fostered cats in their garage that were recovering from being neutered or spayed.

But now, Tobin says he mostly focuses on building shelters. His impressive creations are not only insulated, they also have windows and their own escape hatches.

“I’ve already made 13 so far into this year,” he said.

“I’m out in the garage from the morning until I come in sometimes at eight, nine o’clock at night and have supper. Once I start that, I’m zoned right in.

“My wife says I have ADD. I can’t sit still. I gotta have something to do.”

In the past, shelters were constructed after Tobin purchased materials or recycled items found during the Cape Breton Regional Municipality’s heavy garage cleanup.

Tobin now receives donations along with scrap materials from non-profits and local businesses.

A member of the Feral and Abandoned Cat Society (FAACS), Tobin added that it doesn’t take him very long before he’s looking for more supplies.

“I had 25 sheets of plywood a month ago and now I’ve got five,” he said.

Tobin builds the shelters in three sizes with each taking between four and 10 hours to complete.

As for why he likes cats so much, Tobin said they’re very independent and each one is unique.

At the time when FAACS was founded in Cape Breton back in November 2012, organizers identified over 200 locations where feral, stray and abandoned cats were living.

They conservatively estimated there were between 5,000 and 10,000 homeless cats within the municipality. Since that time, information gathered from the public has helped identify over 2,800 locations, with the homeless cat count estimated at 20,000.

FAACS president Susan Aucoin said because of the large number of stray cats, her group is constantly fundraising to cover the cost of veterinary care. All members of the group are volunteers, including individuals who carry out trapping in their spare time.

Feral cats are not only found in colonies, but also in the backyards of area homes.

“It’s feral and it won’t come near anybody, but we try to accommodate it a little bit,” Aucoin said. “We put a shelter and the person looks after feeding it and we neuter it and hopefully it gets to live a little longer.”

Aucoin said the total number of cats that have received care from the trap-neuter-return program since inception is 7,453, as of January.

As part of its fundraising efforts, the society is hosting a Monte Carlo charity night on Feb. 13 at Casino Nova Scotia in Sydney. The cost is $25.

For tickets or information phone Aucoin at 902-862-2144 or email susauc60@gmail.com