An elderly Ohio woman has been spared from a 10-day jail sentence for feeding stray cats outside her home.
Last month, Magistrate Jeffrey Short sentenced Nancy Segula, 79, of Garfield Heights to jail time for repeatedly violating the city’s ordinance against feeding stray animals. She was ordered to report to the Cuyahoga County Jail on August 11 to serve her time.
Luckily, Segula was granted another hearing on August 6 before Garfield Heights Municipal Court Judge Jennifer Weiler.
Weiler vacated Segula’s jail sentence and instead ordered her to seek treatment for depression and stop feeding strays. Segula’s family reported that she stopped feeding the cats after the most recent complaint.
The judge also cautioned Segula that if she fails to comply with the conditions of her sentence, she’ll face jail time in the future.
Segula began feeding strays in 2017 after losing her husband, Ed, and her pet cats. The cats became accustomed to receiving meals from her and developed a habit of approaching her porch for food. Being a cat lover, Segula felt compelled to continue feeding them, even after being repeatedly penalized by the law for doing so.
Although Segula’s generosity is no longer an option for hungry cats, the strays will be better off due to her kindness. The cats will be spayed/neutered, given shots, lab tests, and deworming for free thanks to the combined efforts of PAWS Ohio and Stautzenberger College.
The positive outcome of this upsetting situation shows that even in the face of complicated circumstances, sometimes a happy ending is possible for everyone involved.
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About time we hear something positive instead of negative. How much money was wasted by the Courts/Lawyers/Judge, etc… for this so called “criminal behavior?” For feeding hungry, stray animals?? So a person decides to be humane & do the right thing with a loving & caring heart. Pretty sad that she had to be penalized over & over again before you finally realized that taking her to Court and keep suing her does no good. It hurt the cats, it hurt this poor lady not on;y monetary wise but also making her feel like she’s a massive criminal with a rap sheet 2 miles long!! I want to thank her personally for what she did & id doing. Everyone can take a page from her book. Great job Nancy Segula!!
Why in the world would this lovely lady ever be subjected to serving jail time? She was trying to help the cats. She didn’t create the problem of the stray cats, other people did that through their own neglect. She was just being humane by not letting them starve. Most people I know would have fed the cats too. I am so glad that PAWS Ohio and Stautzenberger College stepped in to save the cats. God bless you all.
You’re right Juli… they could have taken care of each and every cat a dozen times over I bet for the amount of money they wasted criminalizing a lonely woman…. just because she has a big heart. if they had been dogs, they would have been picked up by the humane society immediately and taken care of and adopted out. but, cats, they just order them ignored.
What arm is she doing…nanny state gone mad
https://www.thepetitionsite.com/420/213/700/demand-garfield-height-ohio-repeal-ordinance-505.23/?fbclid=IwAR3ZOA9AaUCx9dzdMIuTEOByeIzdh7FPKXZY8l8S8ZGKAL1Kv4T2rQgrah0
Thank you, Susan, for posting this link.
So if people cannot feed stray animals is there any other plan in place to take care of these animals? They are strays through no fault of their own. Perhaps owners should be held accountable for abandoning animals and fined to pay for their care until they are adopted or a facility should be designated to take in these animals. Who is making these laws? Where are the residents, or do they just not care? If not caring is the problem, I find this deeply disturbing. Ohians are better than this.
EVERYONE is responsible BUT especially the Authorities, the local Animal Shelter, funded by Taxpayers — people DO care — at times, they do not know WHAT to do; at other times, they DO know BUT cannot give it a go all by themselves — when it comes to “community animals,” the more on board to help these cats, the better — pay a visit to — https://www.nokilladvocacycenter.org/ — headed by Nathan Winograd — you will learn the successful results — the secret is PEOPLE MUST WORK TOGETHER in order the cats live happy, healthy lives.
I don’t even know what to say to this absolute nonsense! Even thinking of sending a 79 year old lady to jail for – what? The crime of compassion!! Oh God, let there be Karma!
Come on get real all she was trying to do was help them give her another strong warning but don’t send her jail. Use your time for something worthwhile like chasing down real criminals.
Still sad-she may have made a difference for the cats but still cruel that she can’t feed the cats anymore or go to jail if she does-where is compassion these day? When does animal cruelty/abuse/neglect end? Thank You PAWS Ohio & Stautzenberger College for having a heart, as well as compassion!
Its terrible that kindness is repaid by jail,what a mad world.
Keep government at bay. Private solutions are generally better than Government solutions. I was surprised to see a law against feeding stray cats. Stray cats are probably there because some cat owners do not have their cats fixed and reproduction follows.. Irresponsible cat owners are part of the stray cat problem.
That is good news!
I am glad no jail time for her. She did not deserve it. Also if the neighbors did not like she was feeding them why didn’t they come up with a solution. Instead they bellyached about it. They were part of the problem not the solution. I am glad a group stepped up and are helping those kitties.
This issue INFURIATES (!) me. The real criminals here are the elected nuts who bully society by creating laws that punish good. I’m curious about the issue that spurred this ridiculous stupidity in the first place. I’d like to know, does this ordinance also prohibit feeding birds and squirrels? When domesticated animals are lost or abandoned, they cannot fend for themselves. Those who perpetrated this law obviously have psychopathic tendencies, and elected individuals who acted on the hype certainly lack commonsense. The real problem here is this compassionate woman has hateful neighbors who hate cats.
IT’S A SERIOUS ISSUE WHEN BULLIES, WHO LACK COMMONSENSE, ARE ELECTED TO THESE POSITIONS OF POWER. THIS ORDINANCE NEEDS TO BE REMOVED!!!!
Ethics: “Just because we can doesn’t mean we should. Just because we always have doesn’t mean we always have to. Once we know better, we should choose better.”
Time to overthrow your government Ohio. When you can feed the stray parasites in government that pretend to represent your best interests, but it is against the law to feed the hungry animals and homeless- it is time to stop co-operating and to call the state and local government what it is- ILLEGITIMATE.
And what will happen with the cats once they are treated by Paws Ohio? Where will they go?
Although they will be neutered and vaccinated they still will not be fed. Ohio has a barn program where barn owners request neutered semi friendly cats. Get these cats into these barns so they have shelter and food/water. Just releaseing them w zero food water available is abuse.,
It’s NOT common practice for Rescuers to return cats to a locale without a Caretaker — someone in the area MUST be overseeing the cats, ensuring they have shelter and daily food — also, if some cats are deemed too friendly, they’ll go to Rescuers who’ll put them up for adoption into loving homes – by the way, Barn Programs sound good, esp for the feral and semi-feral who LOVE the outdoors.
Crazy law…sickening that someone would make a law like that. Obeying God is more important.
Yeah, let’s jail these horrible people who feed abandoned cats and let the assholes who shoot, kick, throw hot water on them, and abandon them go scot free. That’s what amerika is all about!
I‘m so glad that this compassionate lady will not have to go to jail just for being kind to homeless cats. It‘s amazing to me that these so-called law officials pick on caring individuals, while these high officials commit all sorts of crimes against our democracy and country but escape prosecution. That judge in Ohio is an ass who appears not to care about true crimes, but only to instill terror towards this woman. The justice system, or better yet, the injustice system needs a serious overhaul everywhere starting with the ousting of these petty so-called judges.
Amazing how society and our legal system is more worried about somene feedng cats who are in the situation they are in thanks to irresponsible human garbage but they don’t do anything to human trash that abuse animals. Pathetic!
That is because human trash tends to accumulate in positions of authority like government.
What kind of a screwed up world do we live in where kindness to a hungry animal is rewarded with a proposed JAIL SENTENCE? Thank god common sense prevailed.
If she’s lonely, why doesn’t she adopt a rescue cat?
Good point — I wonder if she already has a cat or two — I don’t remember if this was mentioned at all — it would be a very good idea for her AND the cats.
To the person that did this!! You know KARMA stinks & you will find that out one day!!!! Very long jail sentence is needed for this!😡😡😡
Thank goodness.
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Ohio is garbage
I’m so glad she won’t be going to jail for her kindness to our four legged. It is just so upsetting to me that showing kindness to our four legged is so upsetting to some. all some of us want to do is help some four legged that are dumped by the heartless like trash maybe they should be found and thrown in jail for being irresponsible.
I live in a neighborhood similar to Garfield Hts also in Cleveland, Ohio – from experience with my neighbors – unfortunately I highly doubt its a happy ending for the those strays who were likely completely dependent on her for their meals. Perhaps someone kind helped to get them to shelters, but that is awfully tough (been doing it for years) and sometimes expensive and takes a long time to socialize and get to no kill shelters or find owners. Likely they are out there hungry and / or were trapped and taken to our APL which will kill them if not socialized. While I’m glad she didn’t go to jail, I don’t see this as a happy ending. Locally we were proposing they need to change the law and that’s where I believe this article and the movement should move toward. We have a ton of spay and release (very inexpensive) etc. type programs in the area – that would have helped this woman before her community slaps potential jail time on her. No personal offense, just the further layer in if we’re really concerned about the animals on this one.
JEFFREY SHORT…YOU ARE AN ASS…I BET YOU LET REAL CRIMINALS WALK…THANK GOD FOR SHE WAS NOT PUT IN JAIL…
Well perhaps there is still a modicum of common sense left in this country.
Throwing a 79 year old lady in jail for feeding stray cat’s is a little over the top.
Notwithstanding this is good news — I’m not TOO happy with this Judge — LET’S BE CLEAR — people feed stray cats NOT because Feeder is depressed — the Cats are hungry — without food they die — FEEDING cats is the RIGHT THING TO DO — where are your morals? — hopefully, if Segula sees more cats, she will immediately call the Rescues who have undertaken the job of finding good homes for these cats — in the meantime, there is NOTHING WRONG with feeding HUNGRY cats — we are sane, moral, compassionate human beings — when we see animals in distress, we help them — CASE CLOSED!
Agree – hoping my comment is released soon to a similar point. I live near that area – there are many services but still an abundance of stray cats and not enough of us out there to feed, take the time to socialize before taking to no-kill shelters. It takes time and diligence but is doable – in the meantime this lady was just trying to be kind. No wonder she’s depressed she’s probably thinking of all those kitties she loved now hungry. As a local, very upset with town’s law! Thinking I may call and complain haven’t taken action yet but there is always something we can do!
‘;
Katherine — LISTEN : if enough of you get together & rally, these laws CAN be changed — PLEASE – URGE, continually, your Authorities, your Legislators, to change the laws in FAVOR of the cats — others have done it — many locales with excellent adoption rates, probably even in Ohio — pay a visit to — https://www.nokilladvocacycenter.org/ —- latest news on towns & counties that have changed from KILL to NO-KILL — how? — make the decision to do RIGHT — commit to it — and you will see the change — equally as IMPORTANT, the more Volunteers, Fosters who get on board, the better — again, the more who are FOR the cats and those of us who CARE about them, the better, because for each individual, the actual hands-on work is more relaxing and less time is devoted — it’s a no-brainer — if ONE person, & only one person, takes care of 10 cats with feeding, sheltering, trapping, traveling to & from Medical, releasing, holding onto adoptable cats, looking for good & caring adopters, creating network with others who are NO-KILL to assist, you already can see how grueling this would be on the shoulders of that ONE person — again, it’s imperative to have a TEAM — when enough get together, who are on the same page, miracles can happen — it is so so so DOABLE — it’s a great feeling when cats are adopted into loving homes because someone cared enough in the beginning to remove cats from roaming the streets; also, for those cats who are part of a colony and/or are not ready for indoor adoption, it’s still a good thing for them, because cats are healthy, have food and proper shelter available and have Caretakers who give them a hug every day — START one day at a time, gather cat-caring people, and take it from there —— Katherine, keep in mind, in truth, this SHOULD BE the job of your City Shelter, where staff get paychecks for their work, funded by Taxpayers (can you imagine? —— what do they do all day?) —— what they do is KILL —— instead of HOLDING, HEALING, CARING & ADOPTING OUT the cats and dogs —— do NOT let them get away with it —— remember, when voting time comes around, get RID of the animal-hating idiots.
So glad she will not be going to jail because of her kindness towards animals!
Great! I’m glad the lady will do not jail time. Problem of stray, unfed cats remains. She was filling a need all on her own and out of the goodness of her heart. Rather than the clinical “get help” order, I suggest that she be given assistance by some organization or group of individuals who will support the feeding, capture, spay&neuter, and return of the cats to their environment. They should not go hungry, which leads them to do undesirable things – raid garbage, eat unhealthy things & get sick, spread sickness, attack other pets, annoy people — but they should be given welcome and care. They EXIST. They are only being animals. This lady should be thanked for feeding them so that the streets and neighborhoods are not littered with dead cats, or cats being attacked because of their weakness, by other animals. A little kindness will not hurt anyone and there should be an allowance, and ordinance, if necessary, that allows for people to feed homeless, stray cats with the goal of rehabilitating them into pets, if possible, but at least, not killing them via starvation.
VIVIAN — you are 100% right — my response — Notwithstanding this is good news — I’m not TOO happy with this Judge — LET’S BE CLEAR — people feed stray cats NOT because Feeder is depressed — the Cats are hungry — without food they die — FEEDING cats is the RIGHT THING TO DO — where are your morals? — hopefully, if Segula sees more cats, she will immediately call the Rescues who have undertaken the job of finding good homes for these cats — in the meantime, there is NOTHING WRONG with feeding HUNGRY cats — we are sane, moral, compassionate human beings — when we see animals in distress, we help them — CASE CLOSED!
I am so delighted that this kind lady does not have to go to jail !! Surely , now is the time for her to be able to have her own cat to treasure , whilst the strays are being looked after and rehomed by the authorities . Do we have any guarantee that the authorities will actually do this ? It would be heartbreaking if the lady has been threatened and intimidated and then the stray cats are not looked after properly .
You make a good point — I hope the Rescues involved are true NO-KILL Rescue Orgs. — I cannot believe this fiasco of putting a woman in jail for doing GOOD — the Authorities are NOT thinking straight — they kinda lost their minds — Notwithstanding Segula is NOT going to jail — I’m not TOO happy with this Judge — LET’S BE CLEAR — people feed stray cats NOT because Feeder is depressed — the Cats are hungry — without food they die — FEEDING cats is the RIGHT THING TO DO — where are your morals? — hopefully, if Segula sees more cats, she will immediately call the Rescues who have undertaken the job of finding good homes for these cats — in the meantime, there is NOTHING WRONG with feeding HUNGRY cats — we are sane, moral, compassionate human beings — when we see animals in distress, we help them — what kind of SOCIETY are we living in! — CASE CLOSED!
Enfin un peu de bon sens! Satisfaite!
Yay so happy for her and for the cats!!
Glad Judge Jennifer Weiler did the right thing. Jail would not help anyone.
I remember seeing an article about Nancy Segula a year ago, regarding the trouble she was in for having compassion for these abandoned kitties. A year ago. Mrs Segula was trying to help a few cats left behind by a neighbor .
The NEIGHBOR should be prosecuted, fined, and jailed. Feeding stray may be against the law, but I thought deserting/ditching/dumping your pet was, too. Unless this does not apply to cats.
My question/observation is, why the hell didn’t someone – anyone – help this kind and lovely woman sooner.
It’s wonderful that PAWS Ohio and Stautzenberger College are finally helping Nancy AND these ABANDONED cats.
That’s all Mrs. Segula ever wanted. She wanted these sad and lonely cats taken care of. And she did. She’s a HERO.
I agree with what you have written. It’s despicable that this poor woman was penalized for showing some humanity and compassion towards the homeless cats and real criminals get away with worse crimes. I also think the miserable buggers who constantly complained against her should be bloody ashamed of themselves.
You said it! — what kind of Society is this — without food, cats DIE — it’s cruel, unconscionable, depraved NOT to feed them — we are NOT PSYCHOS — Segula, from the beginning, did the RIGHT THING — this is NOT “depression” — this is DOING WHAT IS RIGHT! — the Judge’s verdict regarding Segula’s depressed state of mind is INSULTING — interpreting the Law is one thing, BUT the Judge’s opinion as to WHY people take care of Animals is WAY OFF — do you go to work each day, practicing law, because you’re depressed? — How does one know one way or the other?
Judge Weiler is NOT right — Notwithstanding this is good news — I’m not TOO happy with this Judge — LET’S BE CLEAR — people feed stray cats NOT because Feeder is depressed — the Cats are hungry — without food they die — FEEDING cats is the RIGHT THING TO DO — where are your morals? — hopefully, if Segula sees more cats, she will immediately call the Rescues who have undertaken the job of finding good homes for these cats — in the meantime, there is NOTHING WRONG with feeding HUNGRY cats — we are sane, moral, compassionate human beings — when we see animals in distress, we help them — CASE CLOSED!
I am so happy things worked out for the 79 year old lady. Of course with idiotic, heartless judges still in the system and the system being heartless, there will most likely be more cases like this. Until animals are thought of as precious, living beings who deserve the necessities of life, as we all do, I feel the laws and ignoramic neighbors will always pose a problem for the kind-hearted. I am also feeding strays in a few areas a few miles from where I live. I will not….I REPEAT! I will not watch and let any of those babies starve…not on my watch. A precocious, heartless woman once threatened to call police on me. I explained to her the colony had already been spayed, neutered, immunized and returned to the home area they were born at. I had been doing it for over 10 years and I wasn’t going to stop now. Duhh…… still doing it. Will have to lock me up also. Animal lives are more important to me than idiotic people who don’t give a dam about animals needing and trying to survive. It’s not their fault the situation they are in and animal organizations aren’t always around it available to help. So have a heart and take care of god’s creatures.
Keep up your great and noble work for the Cats — I know many like you — the world is a better place because of YOU, Debra — as to people who seem to be against you and NOT get it — continue to explain to them that Cats all healthy, will NOT be reproducing, there’s a Caretaker in charge if anything arises — put these people at ease — who knows, they just may come around and grow to LIKE cats and take one home; just make sure you’re NOT dealing with PSYCHOS (the idiots we hear about in the newspapers).