Doors at Catnip Acres closing
WAYNESBURG – For nearly 25 years, Carol Pultorak worked to save and rehabilitate a countless number of feral and neglected cats.
“I take in the tough cases,” she said. “The ones no one will put money into.”
She estimates nearly 20,000 cats were spayed and neutered either through her transporting them to area clinics or at her own veterinarian service she started five years ago. It’s been a meandering path over the years, which will end June 30 when her low-cost, nonprofit clinic on High Street in Waynesburg will close just days after Pultorak turns 70.
“The needs are enormous and people are upset,” she said. “But I’d like to enjoy a little bit of my life. I’ve done my share.”
It’s a bittersweet moment for Pultorak, who is ready to move on from the clinic and focus solely on the Catnip Acres rehabilitation sanctuary on her Franklin Township property. Still, she’s disappointed no one has offered to continue the practice even though she plans to donate $250,000 worth of medical equipment.
“I think somebody needs to do it besides me. If no one steps up, it’s gone,” Pultorak said. “I can’t do this forever. I’m trying to transition out and no one is coming through. I’ll be there to support them. I want to teach them everything I know.”
Pultorak began caring for animals in the mid-1990s when she volunteered at Greene County Humane Society by transporting pet food. Eventually, she “couldn’t stay out of the building” and wanted to help more. However, disagreements with the Humane Society’s staff led to a frosty relationship and Pultorak eventually started Catnip Acres to care for cats on her own, funding it mostly out of her own pocket.
She began transporting feral cats to be spayed and neutered at clinics in Pittsburgh and McMurray, and also welcomed a mobile vet services van to visit periodically, but eventually opened her own low-cost clinic at her Franklin Township property in 2011.
The veterinarian side of the operation came under fire in late 2012 for being located in a residential area. The Franklin Township Zoning Hearing Board ruled in November 2012 that Catnip Acres could no longer operate the low-cost vet at Pultorak’s Dark Hollow Road property, forcing her to move the clinic to High Street in Waynesburg.
The clinic built a client base Pultorak estimates to be about 5,000 people over two years, although the building is not ideal for a clinic and she insists another location is needed for it to continue.
Pultorak met with Greene County Commissioner Archie Trader last month and she asked if the county would be able to supply a building for the operation. Trader said the county has no buildings available
Trader added county officials were hoping Pultorak would provide a business plan about the future of the veterinary services after she leaves, but they have not heard from her since the meeting.
“With a business plan, we would take a serious look at (helping) it,” Trader said. “But if no one is going to step up, how are we going to fund it?”
The decision to close has upset many of her longtime clients.
Danielle Conn of Dilliner learned of the vet’s fate while taking her cat, Zoe, to the Waynesburg location for a checkup Monday morning. She was “surprised and disappointed” of the closing and will likely take her four cats to a veterinarian she uses in Uniontown.
“Look at the people around here who this helps,” Conn said of the line of people waiting to be served at the High Street office. “It’s just so convenient. She’s done a great service for a lot of people.”
Pultorak appreciates the outpouring of support, although her decision to close now was one she insists was made long ago.
“People love their animals, but they just don’t have the money,” Pultorak said. “I never imagined we’d have this response. They appreciate it. They know the service they’re getting.”
Pultorak thought feral cats were mainly responsible for the exploding population, but she’s come to believe the problem is more evenly split between the wild cats and unaltered domesticate animals. She and her volunteers recently worked to trap at least 13 cats abandoned earlier this year at a Sycamore residence. She’s now rehabilitating them and hoping they can eventually be adopted.
“The need was just overwhelming,” Pultorak said. “I couldn’t hustle fast enough. The disease and sickness was horrible.”
She’ll continue helping to nurse sick and abandoned cats back to health at her Franklin Township property, which is permitted since it is not considered a business. However, she thinks more options must become available to control the cat population.
“I’m happy with what I’ve done because of their suffering,” Pultorak said. “We’ve taught people that these cats do have value.”