SCHUYLKILL COUNTY, Pa. — Employees at Ruth Steinert Memorial SPCA near Pine Grove are dealing with more than just caring for animals.
Tandi Kashner says when she arrived for work Tuesday morning, she found a water pipe had frozen and burst in the cat and kitten house.
"We had the sinks running in hopes that you know the pipes won't end up freezing, and it didn't work, and unfortunately, we have an old building, and the pipes were brittle to begin with, and it was just a disaster after that," said Tandi Kashner, Ruth Steinert Memorial SPCA.
Kashner said not having water was not an option to continue caring for the cats, so they had to bring in bottled water.
"We have 87 cats in there that rely on water running water. We have dishes to do, litter boxes to clean. They need clean water every day in order for us to keep it sanitary," said Kashner.
Employees say they knew the problem was bad but didn't realize how bad it was until crews could get in and check it out.
"Until they got under and looked at it, and they said all of our pipes are going to go soon, so it was best to just replace everything at once," said Becky Worth, an employee.
The hot water heater will also need to be replaced because it too was damaged.
Volunteers say they're worried about the cost to fix it all.
"Financially, it's a huge hit. We run solely on donations, so it's not like we can just pay for it," said Worth.
If you'd like to donate to the shelter, you can click HERE for a link to their Facebook page or HERE for a link to their website.
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