A man rescued two Himalayan cats Friday morning near a landfill outside Halifax, prompting the Nova Scotia SPCA to seek a woman thought to have abandoned them.

The man saw a small red four-door sedan pull over to the side of the road by Exit 3 on Highway 103 near the Otter Lake landfill, said Joanne Landsburg, chief provincial inspector with the Nova Scotia SPCA.

"When they drove back again, there was two cats just sitting beside the road and it looked like the car had done a U-turn," Landsburg said.

"It appears as though they had been dropped off."

Fur matted

The Himalayan cats are both spayed females and are thought to be around five years old.

Friday afternoon, the two cats were dozy and snuggled in their crates after being looked at by the veterinarian.

They're in relatively good health, Landsburg said, but one needed to be sedated so it could be shaved. Its fur was severely matted, she said.

One of the cats needed to be shaved because its fur was severely matted <a href="https://twitter.com/NSSPCA">@NSSPCA</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/cbcatl?src=hash">#cbcatl</a> <a href="https://t.co/UfZjXbvgAM">pic.twitter.com/UfZjXbvgAM</a> —@AnjuliCBC

Woman sought by SPCA

The SPCA posted about the cats on Facebook Friday. Since then, the office has received several tips about a possible suspect or owner, she said.

"We're asking for the public's assistance, if they may have seen something," Landsburg said.

For example, they're looking for "a red car with a lady that was maybe in her fifties, shoulder-length hair, that may have had two Himalayan cats."

The <a href="https://twitter.com/NSSPCA">@NSSPCA</a> is looking for the person who abandoned these cats near the Otter Lake landfill this morning <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/cbcatl?src=hash">#cbcatl</a> <a href="https://t.co/FrMPTQu6hv">pic.twitter.com/FrMPTQu6hv</a> —@AnjuliCBC

SPCA takes owner surrenders

Pets are often abandoned, Landsburg said. Charges can be laid against a person caught causing an animal to be in distress by way of abandoning, she said. Fines can range from $406.45 to $693.95.

"There are options out there. The SPCA will take in owner surrenders," Landsburg said.

The Nova Scotia SPCA will keep the two cats for at least 72 hours before putting them up for adoption.