For some feral cats in Polk County, life is a little better thanks to the efforts of an outfit called Po’Kitties.
“I just hate to see them killed — some of them make great pets,” said Dana Mayer, director of Po’Kitties. “If they get used to someone and trust them, they get very comfortable.”
Mayer is the woman to call if there is some issue with free-roaming cats (she prefers the term to “feral”); she’s often recognized around Polk County, tolerating with a wry smile being called “The Cat Lady.”
Po’Kitties, also known as Paws, Prayers and Promises, has been trapping free-roaming cats for spay/neuter since 2007, when it started in conjunction with Foothills Humane Society - Polk County, NC to get the local feral populations under control.
The organization has a huge reach throughout Polk County as well as in Landrum, Gowensville and Campobello, in northern Spartanburg County, S.C.
With their “trap, neuter and return” mission, Po’Kitties has facilitated and paid for alterations on over 4,500 cats in the Foothills area, where populations of cats have markedly decreased in conjunction with their efforts.
“That’s the nice thing about this is that over time, they live their lives out,” said Mayer of the cats that aren’t adoptable and are released where found. “You can’t touch them; they’re feral.”
The cats are often fed by local business owners or employees.
“I tend to try to help more in Landrum (and the Upstate) because I know the outcome won’t be good,” Mayer said, citing the fact that feral cats in Spartanburg County have a slim chance of survival if they are caught or trapped by animal control there.
Inspired by the organization Alley Cat Allies. Mayer founded the organization with Emmy Summers through Foothills Humane Society; Po’Kitties received its 501(c)3 certification this past July and is now an independent organization. Po’Kitties has in turn inspired the City of Spartanburg Animal Control to start their own TNR program, said Mayer.
Po’Kitties has a standing agreement to pull all of the feral cats from Foothills Humane Society, the only operating shelter in Polk County and a no-kill facility.
“When we started, 80 percent of cats were killed,” Mayer said of the live release rate at Foothills Humane circa 2006. “Ferals were always put down.”
They have worked with local animal control authorities to identify problem areas, such as behind certain restaurants and grocery stores. Cats which had gone through TNR were marked by ear-tipping so animal control could tell which of the felines had been treated.
“It really does help,” said Mayer. “Foothills’ intake really decreased with the decrease of the large colonies.”
Foster families also help Po’Kitties with socialization, and sometimes the free-roaming cats make great house cats, though many make better barn cats — adopted by local families to live with horses and other animals.
Tara and Tim Boyce of Polk County designed their horse barn with cats in mind, with a tack room fitted with a cat door and a nice area for sleeping and feeding their adopted animals.
“I want everybody to get two barn cats,” said Tara Boyce of their satisfaction with Alex and Koffey, who arrived just about a year ago at their horse farm south of Columbus.
“We don’t have a history with cats; we’re not cat people,” said Tara Boyce, who loves how Alex has turned into a “complete love bug,” greeting her first thing in the morning at the barn, where two quarter horses also reside.
At first, she wore leather gloves when she was around Alex, who had spent a lot of time in a cage before being adopted. Now, content in his new territory, Tara Boyce said he and Koffey both enjoy just walking along the top of fences and hunting for insects, mice, voles and other rodents.
The cats have lost the extra weight they had since they are more active, Boyce noted.
Cats are usually adopted in pairs for barn situations, said Mayer, adding that most of the cats are younger when trapped; cats are fully vetted and have updated rabies shots upon their adoptions.
“There might be some ear mites or they may need a dose of antibiotics, but most of the time they are very healthy (when found),” she said.
Po’Kitties gets by on word-of-mouth and Facebook posts; their P3 Consignments store in Landrum also raises funds for Po’Kitties, though Mayer said they plan to apply for grants thias summer.
“Every penny goes to the animals,” said Mayer, who is currently not being paid as Po’Kitties’ director.
When Mayer or one of the Po’Kitties volunteers is called to check on free-roaming cat populations on private property, the homeowner is trained to use a gravity-activated trap, so they can trap cats when the time is right.
Landrum Veterinary Hospital has performed the surgeries for Po’Kitties over the years – Mayer said not many can handle feral cats, or are willing to work with them.
She insists that providing spay/neuter as a free service is necessary, to keep it openly available. “Whether tame or feral, we do it for free,” said Mayer. “We don’t ask for money.”
To learn more, to make a donation or to get involved, visit pawsprayersandpromises.org.
Photo credit: Po’kitties