CAMDEN—In one room set aside for PAWS Animal Adoption Center, more than 12 cats— mostly tuxedo and black-haired breeds hang out in their comfortable beds and boxy houses staring warily at anyone who enters. They are the Island of Misfit Toys—stray cats found in feral colonies, cats who were surrendered by owners after the pandemic adoption surge, or who landed in this room after an owner died. These cats have lived at PAWS for more than a year and still haven’t been adopted.

One black-and-white cat, Evanescence, lies curled up in her soft, nubby bed, her alert eyes on anyone who comes near, body tensed as though ready to spring away. She was part of a feral litter, among many that PAWS has taken in over the years. At the date of this interview, she had been there 805 days with staff resigned to the unlikelihood of finding her a home.

Currently, PAWS has around 110 cats in the shelter and every cat condo is filled to capacity.

“We’re getting so many cats coming in, we can’t keep up,” said Meghan O’Connor, director of PAWS Animal Adoption Center.

Most people who adopt animals want a pet to cuddle, but unfortunately, cats such as Evanescence, who didn’t grow up with human touch, see it as a threat. O’Connor said the ideal person to take on a feral cat would need to be attuned to the cat’s need for isolation and safety and be patient. According to American Pets Alive, it can take up to a year or more to socialize a feral cat.

Two days after this story for PenBay Pilot was written, Evanescence’s fate would change.

Carly Minnis, who owns an animal sanctuary, came into PAWS Animal Adoption Center on September 7 and adopted five cats, including Evanescence, along with two older feral cats and two kittens. 

“After deciding on the two barn cats we were going to adopt, I asked who the longest resident was and they told me about Evanescence,” said Minnis. “She resembled one of our cats we recently lost at 19 years old. We are happy to house nervous cats and intentionally have many places for them to hide. Since we brought her home, she is starting to relax, eat her food and treats and isn’t hiding under her blankets. My son was petting her head a little last night and she was laying there, allowing him to.”

While this particular cat’s story has a happy ending, there are too many feral and stray cats in the Midcoast, according to O’Connor, a big part of the problem with an overpopulation of stray feral cats is when owners do not spay or neuter them.

“If an owner doesn’t spay or neuter the animal when it’s young and it gets pregnant, the owner gives the kittens away for free to his or her friends who then don’t spay or neuter their cats and let them outside, it creates feral colonies,” she said.

Another hindrance is that people in the Midcoast communities are at capacity with adoptions.

“We had a lot of people adopt these animals during the COVID-19 pandemic, so now we have fewer and fewer people coming in who don’t already have animals,” she said. “If we have cats or dogs who need to go into homes with no other cats or dogs, what happens is, they just remain here year after year.”

O’Conner said that “kitten season,” which usually begins at the beginning of spring, has been extending longer and longer into November.

“We’ve had cats who live in the condos [stacked cages] who have been here for so long, that we’ve moved them into a big enclosed room and they regress with people socialization. They get their affection from other cats but the staff really has to work to gain their trust back.”

PAWS is actively working with the community to make it affordable to spay and neuter as well as to adopt animals. One is a “Last Litter” program for cats who’ve just given birth to kittens. When the kittens are eight or nine weeks old, PAWS will spay and neuter them for free. They also offer low-cost veterinary services (including spay and neuter care).

For low-income families, she said: “There are so many programs you can get vouchers for. The best advice is to call PAWS with your question and let them guide you.”

To find out more visit: https://www.pawscares.org/

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com