New Castle facility offers pet care to owners in need

NEW CASTLE, Pa.

After a struggle to afford rent, Denise Crum lost her house in May. In June, she lost her job.

After spending $1,500 to kennel her two cats for two months because she had no place to keep them, she had to cut back that expense — so it looked as if she might lose the cats, All-Star and Luna, as well.

The Pittsburgh-area woman found a place to stay with a friend. But as she, her 20-year-old son and 23-year-old special-needs daughter struggled with homelessness, it wasn’t so easy to find care for the four-footed family members. No one could take them in.

“I didn’t want to give them up,” said Crum. “My kids have already given up so much.”

Then her daughter’s caseworker at an organization called

Familylinks, which offers support to people with mental illnesses or developmental disabilities, told her about Caritas PetCare.

Operated by a nonprofit organization called Human Services Center, it opened this year on Princeton Road in Slippery Rock Township, Pa., to offer free pet care to people who are displaced, don’t have the means to board their pets and can’t find anyone else to keep them.

Cats, dogs, ferrets, birds and other small pets can stay at

Caritas for up to 30 days while their owners recover from a medical emergency, escape from domestic violence or find another place to stay because they’re suddenly homeless.

For the complete story, read Saturday's Vindicator or Vindy.com.