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BLAIRSVILLE, Pittsburgh (KDKA) -- A two-year animal cruelty investigation has resulted in felony charges filed against two animal rescue workers in Indiana County.
The president of Cat Aid Network, Kimberly Rose, and a board member, Pamela Curry, were arraigned Wednesday for charges that included aggravated cruelty to animals, torture and neglect.
Police said the women were in charge of caring for cats at their mobile rescue center on Route 982 in Blairsville. The rescue opened about four years ago.
"There were no litter boxes. There was just trash everywhere, urine and feces on everything. It was just deplorable," said Christina Menchio, secretary and treasurer of Ninth Life Rescue in Greensburg.
Menchio said officials were called to the property in September 2022 to bring in the cats on the property. A total of 211 were rescued by Ninth Life Rescue.
"They had upper respiratory for so long that the upper respiratory had permanently damaged their sinus canal so that they were not ever going to be completely normal cats," Menchio said.
According to police paperwork, a veterinarian also called to the rescue in Blairsville reported conditions inside to be covered in "excessive urine, feces, fleas, garbage, overwhelming ammonia odors, and cobwebs throughout the building." The vet said many of the cats were found with mouth ulcers, nasal discharge, upper respiratory infections, fleas and gingivitis.
"The cats were failed," Menchio said.
According to police paperwork, Rose reportedly apologized to the vet for not seeking help sooner. Police said Rose sent a text saying, "I am very sorry, and I should have reached out earlier for help. I'm sorry, I never wanted this to happen, I just wanted to help and I got in over my head. Everyone stopped coming to help and I just failed."
"It's similar to what we see with a mental disorder, the hoarding situations that we go into on a normal basis. You would expect this to have been some person that started out thinking they're better here than on the streets and then letting it out of control. You know, that's a mental illness. This would have looked just like that. So to know that it was a rescuer, there's no words for that," Menchio said.
Ninth Life Rescue took in a total of 211 cats. Some of the cats did not make it while others are still receiving medical care. The rescue said it has cost around $30,000 in vet bills.
"It has really hurt us. We owe over $30,000 in vet bills from that or just care in general. Over $30,000 it cost us to save all of those cats. And of course, it's also mentally taxing and emotional because you want to lose hope at some point, but we had to keep going," Menchio said.
Ninth Life Rescue is always accepting donations, including food and litter. It also encourages adoptions.
"We currently have about 300 cats who are up for adoption. So, adoptions would be great, in addition to donations of all sorts. Adoptions are needed because that helps us make room for new ones to come in," Menchio said.
Ninth Life Rescue said it is thankful for the Justice Rescue's Russ Harper, who got sworn into Westmoreland County just for this case. The rescue said it wouldn't have gotten charges filed without his commitment and time to the case.
Rose and Curry are out on bail with preliminary hearings scheduled for later this month.
