Lonely Elderly Woman Sentenced to Jail for Feeding Stray Cats That Helped Keep Her Company

By Amanda Thomason August 1, 2019 at 3:06pm

Nancy Segula, 79, has lived in Garfield Heights, Ohio, for over three decades, according to cleveland.com. She had her own little family including Edward, her husband, and her cats, but that all changed two years ago.

“I miss my own kitties, they passed away, my husband passed away,” she told the news outlet. “I’m lonely.”

It’s understandable, then, that she would provide care and love for the other critters wandering around her neighborhood — some of which she says were left behind when a neighbor moved.

“There’s been about six to eight adult cats and now there’s kittens coming over, too,” Segula said, also saying that their presence eased her loneliness. “So the cats and kitties outside help me.”

“The cats keep coming over to my house,” she told cleveland.com. “I just feel bad so then I will give them something to eat.”

And who wouldn’t feel compelled to help in such an instance? What harm is there in putting out a little food for stray animals? According to some people, it’s a big problem.

In fact, there’s an ordinance in Garfield Heights that specifically prohibits the feeding of stray dogs and cats, calling infractions a “minor misdemeanor.”

According to WJW, an animal warden for the area, Bonnie Hackett, says Segula has been ignoring the rule for some time and has been asked multiple times to stop feeding strays.

“We have had numerous complaints from neighbors,” Hackett said. “This started in 2015. The neighbors have called us asking for help. It becomes a health issue for neighbors.

“There are numerous cats. I have caught 22 cats already in that area. I am aware of 10 to 12 that are still over there now.”

Part of the issue is that, while feeding hungry animals is a noble endeavor, doing so without also trapping and fixing those strays will merely result in more overpopulation.

Plus, if Segula continues feeding the cats, they will be less inclined to enter humane traps in the first place, making their trapping and adoption nearly impossible.

Now, after years of ignoring citations and paying over $2,000 in fines, Segula has been sentenced to 10 days of jail time.

“I’m sure people hear about the things that happen downtown in that jail,” Segula’s son, Dave Pawlowski, said. “And they are going to let my 79-year-old mother go there?”

“The thought of going to jail scares me so bad,” the 79-year-old said.

The thought of spending time in prison has Segula reconsidering her actions and sending out a plea for help. And she’s gotten the promise of assistance from the executive director of PAWS Ohio, Amy Beichler.

Beichler has committed to working with another group to get the remaining cats and kittens trapped, vetted, neutered and adopted, which Segula hopes will remedy the situation.

Segula is also hoping that the judge will reconsider her sentencing and give her something a little less terrifying than the current threat of jail time at the next hearing, which will be held on August 6.

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