PO'KITTIES TURNS TEN!


Dana Mayer and Emmy Summers co-founded Po'Kitties on October 15, 2007 as the only TNR (trap-neuter-return) program in the area.  At that time, the "Itty-Bitty Po'Kitties Committee"consisted of Elaine Rizzo, Ginny Barton, Judy Davis, Jane Ratchford, Joyce Allen, and Veronika Wilson.  Foothills Humane Society agreed to allow us to make Po'Kitties a program under their 501(c)(3) and it remained there until we moved the program to Paws, Prayers, & Promises in October of 2015.


In 2007, Foothills Humane Society was saving only 37% of the cats that came in, and we believed that with TNR we could change those numbers. And change them we did!  The live release rate (LRR) for cats continued to improve and in 2010 reached No-Kill status for cats with a LRR of 99.78%.  The  LRR has remained in the 90s to date.

We owe much of our success to our cat caretakers.  Unlike some TNR programs, where cats are dumped out  to fend for themselves, we place cats back where they came from -- their home territory with caretakers -- where they will be fed and cared for daily.  

We are proud of the fact that others followed our lead, and we are eager to share our knowledge and experience.  We worked with the City of Spartanburg's Animal Services and with the Furman University's "PalaCats" group to start  TNR programs, both of which have been very successful, and with several other counties and individual groups who are working to start their own TNR programs.  
We have always provided this service free of charge to the community, because we think it is so important.  The cats are spayed or neutered, given a rabies vaccine, and ear tipped before being returned to their home turf. To pay for this, Po'Kitties has received several grants over the years, beginning with $85,000 from PetSmart Charities. This past year we have received grants from Two Mauds, Hub City Animal Project, and The Community Cats Program. We could not do this without our grantors and donors.

We are looking forward to our photo contest and gala set for October 14th at the Landrum Depot. We are still accepting photos through this weekend!


We are THRILLED to have been able to help the cats in our community for the past ten years and we want  this to be a BIG DEAL!  So please get your photos in and come to the gala. If you would like to be a sponsor,please call Dana@ 828-243-1852.

We are sure you remember Norman, the Courthouse Cat.  For years, Norman was a beloved figure at the Polk County Courthouse in Columbus.  He had many friends and admirers, and usually at least five bowls of food in a row so he could have his choice.  He was neutered and had a few teeth pulled years ago by Po'Kitties, thanks to Eric Mack at the Purrrfect Bark (who knew him as Kong), and Norman had a wonderful life with lots of treats and attention.  

One night Norman was found in dire shape in the street, and was taken inside for the night by two good folks, and in the morning, we rushed him to Landrum Veterinary Clinic. His friends visited him at the clinic and he was always so glad to see them!

He was released and went home with one of his buddies, but it was quickly clear that Norman had suffered severe neurological damage and needed to be with an experienced hospice foster, so we brought him home.  

Norman was a handsome, particular guy and it grieved him no end that he could no longer properly clean himself anymore.  His favorite time of day (and ours) was after supper when we held him steady and gently washed his face with a warm, wet washcloth.  We would call "Normie!" and he would come just as fast as he could. He loved that time, purring and turning himself this way and that so we could clean his chin, the sides of his face, the top of his head, and then turning again to be patted dry.  When we were done, we announced that he was now "fluffy and cute" which was his signal to cuddle up so we could feel just how fluffy and cute he was.

Norman's condition deteriorated until he began to fall over every few steps, but that didn't keep him from eating, and from claiming his favorite spot in the sun every afternoon. He became more and more wobbly, and then earlier this week when he did not want his dinner, we knew his time was close. We know Norman was old but it was hard to tell exactly how old he was because nearly all of his teeth were missing.  That evening, he asked to be held and spent 45 minutes lying quietly on my chest.  When he wanted down, we placed him in his bed, and he fell asleep. He slipped quietly into a coma and in the morning he sighed once and his spirit flew free.

We are so grateful we had the opportunity to get to know this special cat over the last few months and we send our love and thanks to his friends and fans all over, especially his many friends at the Courthouse and his special friend Walt in Corrections. You all made his life worth living.  Thank you for caring about him and for him for so many years. What a lucky Po'Kitty.

Yesterday on Facebook we were tagged in a post from Sarah Reid:

"Hey Dana, There's a scraggly old orange cat wandering around Downtown Columbus. He was in the park at the veterans fountain, looks like he was trying to get water but there is not any in it now :( I tried my best to catch him. He would let me get about 5 feet from him and would sit and watch me, but when I moved just a little he would dart away a few feet and sit and watch me again. I tried bribing him with chicken (only thing I had on me) but anytime I tossed a little piece he would run away. He wandered into the courthouse yard. Looks like he stays there or near this Mexican restaurant in town.... anyway, I tried for a while but have to be somewhere. I might try again later if I can find him again but wanted to see if maybe you had some extra traps. Poor guy looks gunky or blind in one eye and he's getting kinda skinny."

So this cat was discussed for a little while on Facebook, and we decided that we would try trapping him today and taking him to the vet clinic in the morning to try to help him.

We went by there with trap in hand and discovered this: 1 water bowl and 5 food bowls.
We laughed out loud.

So we went to get our trap and write a note to the folks, and at about that time two gentleman come out of the office building. I told them the plan and they said that "Norman" had been to see Dr. Angel Mitchell in August and he was gaining weight and looking better. ("Norman" was a Po'kitty we had neutered at the old Purrrfect Bark where he was named Kong. Oh well at least he is ear tipped!)

We were thrilled that this cat had been to Dr. Angel Mitchell!  These guys told us how everyone knew the "Courthouse Cat" and that they even dressed him up as a pirate on Halloween! And this mellow fellow can now be held (although he would prefer not to be) and how he comes into the office (briefly) at times.

Wow, are we impressed! You bet and we walked away with a huge grin and smile on our faces that these folks take such great care of their Po'Kitty, Norman.  We want to thank everyone who loves Norman and helps take care of him. Y'all rock!

What a year it has been!  We started Paws, Prayers, and Promises a year ago and we are very proud of what we have accomplished in this short amount of time to help the animals and their people in our community.  We have helped a total of 496 animals and their owners, not including the ones we are helping feed their animals. We helped 27 folks with vet care for their owned animals, 25 dogs and puppies went to rescue, we adopted out 58 cats and kittens, and we adopted out 9 dogs.  We also were able to trap, neuter, and return 377 cats in Polk County, NC and Upper Spartanburg Co. SC.
 We want to thank all of our donors and supporters for their help, because without it, we would not have been able to manage this and all of this takes money and support.  We also want to thank our amazing fosters as without them, we could not accomplish our mission.  Last, but surely not least, we want to thank P3 Consignments for all their help in every way..we could not have done it without them.  Here is to another year of helping the animals and their people in our community.

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We brought Po’Kitties from Foothills Humane Society to Paws, Prayers, & Promises, and have committed to continue to pull feral cats from FHS as needed.
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Here’s the story.  Dave was on a mail-route when the dog approached him.  Horrified, he called his wife, Shelley, with the details.  She was on the road with their beautiful daughter, Baylon, but pulled over long enough to call Dana, who grabbed Kelly from P3 Consignments and went searching for the dog.

Unable to spot her from the road, Dana and Kelly got out to search the woods, and spotted her body lying in the leaves down a hill, so still they thought she was dead.  As  they approached, she lifted her head and wagged her tail.
 
Kelly carried her as Dana went to get the car.  They raced her to Landrum Veterinary Hospital, where Dr. Boone saw her immediately,  and determined that while her leg could not be saved, they could try to save her life. Dr. Boone started antibiotics, fluids, and pain meds immediately, and performed the surgery the next day. 
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