WESTMORELAND COUNTY, Pa. (April 30, 2026) — In Defense of Animals is extremely disappointed in the sentence given to Pamela Curry, a board member for Cat Aid Network, who faced multiple felony charges following an investigation that found the organization grossly neglected more than 200 cats in its care.

A two-year investigation by Animal Control Officer Russel Harper, loaned by Justice Rescue and appointed by the Westmoreland County Court of Common Pleas specifically for this case, uncovered horrific conditions at Cat Aid Network’s mobile unit in Derry Township. Danielle Vought, DVM, found that many cats suffered from permanent respiratory damage, ulcerated mouths, gingivitis, fleas, diarrhea, and untreated infections. Their trailer was filled with garbage and reeked of ammonia from widespread urine and feces, as the cats had no litter boxes. Thirteen cats were found dead.

The conditions were so extreme that Ninth Life Rescue in Greensburg removed 211 cats from their living hell — many of whom had originally been placed in foster homes and were brought back under false pretenses. Frankie’s Friends took in more than 80 additional cats.

Curry was initially charged with 87 counts of third-degree misdemeanor Neglect of Animals (Shelter/Protection),87 counts of third-degree Neglect of Animals (Veterinary Care), 13 counts of third-degree felony Aggravated Cruelty to Animals (Torture), 13 counts of felony Aggravated Cruelty to Animals (Causing Serious Bodily Injury or Death). 

Each felony count could have carried up to seven years in prison and a $15,000 fine, making the maximum sentence 182 years and $390,000 in fines had she been prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

Instead, on April 29, Curry pleaded guilty to a single misdemeanor count of neglect of animals. She was sentenced by Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court Judge Michael Stewart II to just one year of probation and is barred from working with animals during that time.  

In Defense of Animals presented District Attorney Adam Joshua Barr with a letter signed by 10,312 animal advocates supporting the maximum prosecution of Curry and Kimberly Rose, the former president of Cat Aid Network.

In June 2025, Rose also took a plea and was sentenced to only eight years of probation, to be served concurrently. 

“Whether from hoarding, fraud, or ineptness, this kind of cruelty is devastating — not only for the animal victims but the entire rescue community,” said Doll Stanley, In Defense of Animals’ Justice for Animals Senior Campaigner. “Justice should not depend on someone’s intentions, but on the suffering they caused. Sentences must reflect the severity of the harm caused since they may be the only deterrent for future shocking cases. In Defense of Animals is no stranger to exposing, shutting down, and compassionately rescuing jilted animals. This form of cruelty ranks as a ten for its facade of compassion.”

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Contact: Doll Stanley, doll@idausa.org, (662) 809-4483

Images: https://bit.ly/CatAidNetwork

In Defense of Animals is an international animal protection organization with over 250,000 supporters defending animals, people, and the environment through education, campaigns, and hands-on rescue facilities in India, South Korea, California, and rural Mississippi, since 1983. www.idausa.org/justice4animals

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