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Humane Society seizes nearly 150 cats from properties in Donora, Monessen

By Scott Beveridge for The 3 min read
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Scott Beveridge

The national Humane Society seized more than 100 cats from sanctuaries in Monessen and Donora in this file photo from October.

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Scott Beveridge

Christie Dee Harr was arraigned Wednesday before Washington County District Judge Mark Wilson on two counts of aggravated cruelty to animals.

A Donora woman was arrested Wednesday on animal cruelty charges while the Humane Society of the United States seized more than 100 cats from her home and a nearby dilapidated former church she owns.

The society also removed about 20 chickens from the home of Christie Dee Harr, 41, along with a few dogs and gerbils, as well as another 50 neglected cats at a property she owns in neighboring Monessen, the society said.

“The conditions are truly horrible,” said Kristen Tullo, state director of the national humane society.

The society and Donora police arrived at the property at 530 Second St. about 7:30 a.m. and “were met with an overwhelming smell of feces and ammonia,” Washington County District Attorney Gene Vittone said.

Some of the cats were living in crates overflowing with feces and with no apparent access to food and water, said Kirsten Peek, the society’s spokeswoman.

Others were found in the dark basement of Harr’s Victorian-style house stacked in crates near the chickens, Peek said.

“The conditions are dire in the two residences we went to,” said Kelly Proudfit, executive director of Washington Area Humane Society in Eighty Four, which invited the national organization to help with the investigation.

“This is a tremendous undertaking,” Vittone said.

Harr faces two felony counts of aggravated cruelty to animals, one of which alleges torture. She was released by District Judge Mark Wilson on $5,000 unsecured bond, online court records show.

She declined to comment to a reporter as she left Wilson’s Monongahela court, other to complain about being photographed.

Those charges stem from a June 22, 2018, search of her Donora property that found an underweight cat with untreated Leukemia, court records show.

The collection and treatment of the cats, including those seized from a house on Reed Avenue in Monessen, were expected to take several days, Proudfit said.

It was not immediately known if Harr had an attorney to represent her. Vittone said additional charges would be filed against her once the investigation was completed.

“The care of the animals is our first priority,” Tullo said. “We want to get them adopted into loving homes.”

Peek said the animals would be taken to a shelter at an undisclosed location.

The investigation into Harr, who used the former St. Mary Roman Catholic Church to house some of the cats, has been underway for years.

Proudfit said she has tried unsuccessfully to get Harr to slowly surrender her cats to the Washington society.

“This is an example of how things can get out of control quickly,” Tullo said.

Meanwhile, Donora officials were preparing Wednesday to condemn the Second Street house and former church after the animals were removed, Vittone said.

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