Nancy Segula, from Garfield Heights, Ohio, had feral cats start appearing in her back porch about two years ago.
Segula broke a law in Ohio that prohibits local residents from feeding stray animals. She was sentenced to 10 days in jail, Fox8 reported.
“It began in 2017 with me feeding stray kitties. I used to have a neighbor that had a couple cats and he moved away so he left them,” Segula told Fox. “I would always feed them and care for them because I was worried about them and I’m a cat lover. Once my neighbors got upset about it, they called the animal warden.”
A couple years ago stray cats started showing up on Nancy Segula’s back porch in Garfield Heights, Ohio. https://t.co/JPFPf5BHyS
— WTVR CBS 6 Richmond (@CBS6) July 30, 2019
She got a citation in 2017 and subsequently got more. She said she got four in total.
“I couldn’t believe what my mother was telling me. She gets 10 days in the county jail, I couldn’t believe it,” said Dave Pawlowski, her son. “I’m sure people hear about the things that happen downtown in that jail. And they are going to let my 79-year-old mother go there?”
Segula thinks the punishment she got was disproportionate.
“It’s too much of a sentence for me for what I’m doing. When there are so many people out there that do bad things,” she said.
The 10 day prison time will start on Aug. 11, reported Her.
A petition has been set up for Segula, it reads: “Keep 79 yr old Nancy Segula out of jail”
“She has been given 10 days in jail for feeding said cats. Had it not been for her taking care of these cats, said cats would have caused havoc getting into trash cans and causing a mess. 10 days in jail for a 79 year old woman taking care of cats is beyond my comprehension.”
Feral Cats in the United States
According to People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA): “Feral cats are domesticated cats who are fearful of humans because they have been fending for themselves from a young age and never had the opportunity to socialize and learn to trust people. Often, feral cats are the descendants of unaltered cats who were abandoned outdoors.”
“It is estimated that between 60 and 100 million homeless cats live in the U.S. Since feral cats, like those who share our homes with us, are domesticated, they depend on humans to feed, water, and shelter them and to keep them safe from harm.”
PETA also states that feral cats are not native wildlife animals and disrupt the predator-prey ecosystem.
“Their hunting instincts exist no matter how well fed they are. They terrorize, maim, and kill countless native birds and other small wild animals, who are struggling to survive existing challenges (such as development in their habitats) and aren’t equipped to deal with such predators.”
