Elderly woman given 10-day jail sentence for feeding stray cats

[jpak]

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-49184665

A 79-year-old woman has been given a 10-day jail sentence after she was repeatedly cited by police for feeding stray cats in her Ohio neighbourhood.

Since 2015, neighbours of Nancy Segula have been complaining to officials about the strays. She claims the cats were left behind by an ex-neighbour.

"I'm a cat lover," she told Fox 8 in Cleveland, after learning of her coming term in the Cuyahoga County Jail.

Mrs Segula has been ordered by a judge to begin her sentence on 11 August.

<more>

[Skittles]

1. criminializing compassion

ridiculous

she should have been paired with an organization that could assist with a trap and release program

[femmedem]

2. This is horrible. I can imagine how worried she is going to be about the cats.

Whether the neighbors will relocate them; whether they will starve.

[Doremus]

3. Nearby city. They scheduled another hearing before she has to report to jail, this time with a judge

I imagine with all the uproar they'll come up with some other punishment than jailing an elderly woman.

One of the cat rescues has trapped many of the strays and will continue working with her to get the rest so that they all have medical care, neutering/spaying and a chance to find a home.

[DeminPennswoods]

4. Once all the cats are TNR'd, she can care

for the colony without the consequence of the cats reproducing.

[emmaverybo]

8. Thank you for letting us know. Yay for the cat rescue. NT

[RT Atlanta]

5. Goodness gracious....

Wonder what her community prosecutors would think if she were, say, providing water to migrant refugees.

Hat tip to this woman and FTP(rosecutor) etc. including the neighbors that had this woman cited and put in jail.

[marybourg]

7. Would you like to live

next door to a woman who was feeding 50 feral cats? Do you know what 50 un-neutered and un-spayed cats sound like at night?

[emmaverybo]

9. No. A well functioning animal care and control would have trapped them to neuter and spay. And

the big rescue organizations that take the lion’s share of donations should be stepping in as should PETA, but then they don’t care about domestic animals and would euthanize.

But the point is that neither the poor lady nor neighbors should be stuck with the problem.

[ProudLib72]

16. Yes, I have visited Rome

[sinkingfeeling]

6. How terrible to have an ordinance against feeding stray animals.

[CurtEastPoint]

10. from what I read Shaker Heights is all la de dah and shit

[GulfCoast66]

11. I can't agree. Ok, if my neighbor feeds a stay or 2 that's cool.

But they have already caught 22 with more to go.

If my neighbor was feeding that many I would want it stopped.

Now sending he to jail is just silly. But something needed to happen. Looks like it is.

[sinkingfeeling]

12. The ordinance doesn't specify a number.

[GulfCoast66]

13. Right. But you feed cats that can breed and eventually you will have 30.

I don’t hate cats. We have 2 indoor cats.

I hate cats outdoors. Well, I don’t hate the cats. Just that they live outdoors making them an invasive species. They are incredible predators and take a tremendous toll on the wild bird population. Many with rapidly shrinking populations.

[lostnfound]

15. Too bad some large church / animal charity can't do a campaign to adopt all of this lady's cats

Kind old ladies don’t deserve punishment for being softhearted.

[GulfCoast66]

17. I agree about the punishment.

But many feral cats will never be suited for life indoors. Those things an be wild and mean.

[lpbk2713]

14. I hope she's not on any prescription medication.

It will be administered how and when they feel like it.

[ProudLib72]

18. My boss from a long time ago was a crazy cat lady who took in feral cats

She had between 13 and 15 at any given time. The vet knew she took in cats and gave her a huge discount on services, not just spay and neuter, but health checks and any medicine they needed.

[Retrograde]

19. Around here, when you feed feral cats

you're feeding just as many raccoons, skunks, and rats - all of which can carry some not very nice diseases. I'm with the neighbors here. We used to have a problem with skunks at a building where I worked because some soft-headed people kept putting out plates of cat food (never saw a cat near them - plenty of skunks, though) I don't think it's cat loving - it's a form of cat hoarding.

I know a woman who spent years feeding a colony of about 30 strays. She kept lamenting that the raccoons kept killing the kittens, and that it cost over half her pension to keep them all in food. The neighbors kept complaining to no effect. Finally, when she was hospitalized for a few months her family were able to get the remainder rounded up and neutered (and did all the house maintenance she neglected because she was spending most of her income on cat food). She's down to 6 indoor cats now.

I've had cats - up to 3 at a time - all my adult life. I don't let them out when I'm not home or at night, and they're all neutered.