A Houston man has reached out to the BC SPCA to help remove 280 cats and kittens from his rural property after years of people dumping stray cats onto his yard.

Bruce Robinson told Houston Today that what began as having two cats four years ago has mushroomed into a problem that has caused him stress and anxiety from the ever increasing number of litters.

鈥淚t鈥檚 like trying to count the bubbles in a boiling pot of water,鈥� he says of the burgeoning population. 鈥淚鈥檝e had 100 cats in my bedroom 鈥� 60 on my bed and the rest on the floor.鈥�

Robinson says things were manageable when he was employed and could purchase more than $2,000 worth of food and cat litter each month.

But when forest industry giant Canfor closed its Houston sawmill last year, there went Robinson鈥檚 job and his main source of income.

鈥淚鈥檝e managed 300 head of cattle before so I thought sure as hell I could manage a few cats by myself,鈥� said Robinson. 鈥淏ut I can鈥檛.鈥�

Early on, he said he had some cats spayed and neutered but continuing that fell through after a disagreement with a vet.

Adding to his problem is having people dropping off unwanted cats.

鈥淚 had one family show up in their Suburban. The guy said they were moving and they couldn鈥檛 take the cat with them. He told his kids to lock their doors and they drove off,鈥� Robinson recounted of one incident.

He phoned the police but they told him there was nothing they could do.

It was Robinson who phoned the BCSPCA seeking help, saying the situation amounted to a form of animal cruelty because he could no longer cope.

鈥淭here鈥檚 little kittens here and they need to be fed,鈥� he said. 鈥淚鈥檓 surrendering. I鈥檓 surrendering 100 per cent of the animals.鈥�

鈥淚鈥檓 not going to lie. It鈥檚 a painful process for me, right. But at the end of the day I have to be a responsible human being and remember who put me into this position. I have to fix this.鈥�

BC SPCA officials are describing the situation as exceptional and unique despite the society鈥檚 extensive experience in dealing with animal welfare.

鈥淭he last time I remember us involved in a single intake of kittens this large was back in the late 1990s,鈥� said senior officer Eileen Drever.

鈥淲hen we initially attended, our teams were quite surprised to see how well the animals have been taken care of, all things considered,鈥� she said. 鈥淏ut without a quick intervention the chance of their welfare suffering is very high.鈥�

The animal welfare agency is exploring the possibility of renting a large indoor space until such time the animals can be transported to animal centres around the province.

By voluntarily coming forward, Robinson said he hoped it will avoid the community having a black mark placed against it.

鈥淲e鈥檙e kind, we鈥檙e giving and I made a mistake. But it鈥檚 how do you stop a food with a little spoon?鈥� he said.

Robinson also praised the professionalism of the two people from the SPCA who came to see him.

鈥滻鈥檓 smart enough to know that I need to go to the highest power possible.鈥�