Woman says she’ll stop feeding stray cats ahead of hearing
— A curtain GARFIELD HEIGHTS has been pulled over Nancy Segula’s back door lately. It keeps her from being tempted to feed stray cats; multiple violations of a city ordinance that prohibits the practice earned the 79-yearold woman a 10-day jail sentence.
Now, ahead of a Tuesday hearing where a judge will determine whether to uphold that punishment, Segula is determined to never again violate the Garfield Heights ordinance that prohibits the feeding of strays.
“I love cats; I have for a long time. But there is a point where I have to think about myself,” she said Saturday. “I don’t want to get into any more trouble than I’m already in.”
A Garfield Heights Municipal Court magistrate imposed Segula’s sentence last month after her most recent violation of city law. Segula has been cited at least four times since 2015 under several city ordinances, including ones that prohibit feeding stray cats and require owners to clean up animal debris.
When news of her most recent arrest and sentencing drew international attention, Municipal Court Judge Jennifer Weiler announced that she will review the matter at a hearing scheduled Tuesday.
Segula said she’s surprised her story has garnered so much attention.
“(The case) has been so difficult, and now it’s exploded to develop into something like this,” she said.
At least four of the stray cats have since been trapped and taken to the Public Animal Welfare Society of Ohio, which is working to find permanent homes for them. Segula said she’s grateful the cats are getting the care they need.
“The fact they’re being taken care of makes me feel good,” she said. “That’s better for them.”
Segula has lived in Garfield Heights for more than three decades and lost her husband Edward and two cats, named Moose and Missy, back in 2017. The strays had been a source of comfort for her, she said.
She didn’t know about Garfield Heights’ prohibition against feeding strays until the city’s animal warden told her she’d been violating the ordinance, she said.
The city of Garfield Heights has not responded to requests for comment about the ordinances.
Court records do not indicate how the animal warden learned Segula was feeding strays, and the city’s police department said it does not have any records of calls to Segula’s home. Segula believes one of her neighbors may have complained, but she said she’s not upset over it.
One neighbor, Bob Miller, said Saturday that the cats haven’t bothered him.
“I had no idea she was even feeding cats,” Miller said.
Miller said he understands why Segula’s multiple violations of the city ordinance led to her punishment. But he doesn’t feel she should serve any jail time.
“I do not want to see her go to jail over something like this,” he said.
Segula said she’s worried over the prospect of serving time in the Cuyahoga County Jail, which has been under increased scrutiny since a U.S. marshals report detailed inhumane conditions and civil rights issues within the facility.
“I’m very worried about the situation,” she said. “Especially the fact that I’d have to go down to the jail. That scares me.”