The arrival of the feral cats in the East Main Street and
Lincoln Avenue area coincided with the arrival of the Langellas,
testified witnesses at a three-hour hearing before the Bradford
City Board of Health Monday evening.

The hearing, appealing public nuisance citations issued against
Ron and Cathy Langella and Siglinde Vanderhorst for feeding feral
cats on their properties, had been scheduled to last for only that
session, but will have to be reconvened to complete the planned
testimony.

The neighbors to either side of Ron and Cathy Langella were
called by special counsel Greg Henry to testify to what living in
the vicinity of them is like.

Debra Cline, who has lived at her residence for 21 years, said
the problems with the cats began after the Langellas moved in next
to her in 2001.

“My problem is the defecating … it’s everywhere,” she said. She
can no longer have a garden or grow any plants, she said, adding,
“we don’t put decorative mulch out. They use that … for a litter
box.”

Ron Langella, an attorney, represented himself, his wife and
Vanderhorst in the appeal hearing. He asked Cline if she could
specifically identify the cats he cares for as cats causing
problems on her property, to which she said yes.

She indicated she was in favor of the citations issued by the
city, as a lack of food could make the cats move on to another
area. Cline also said she would agree to a plan for the Langellas
to fence their yard with specific fencing made to keep cats in.

“It would take care of the defecating, but not the odor,” she
said.

The next witness, Marie Troskosky, said she could not agree to a
fence.

“That is not a solution to this problem,” she said. “The yard is
filled with cat feces. Where I sit on the deck, you can smell it. I
feel like I am now in a cat sanctuary that I didn’t buy into.

“I don’t want this. This is not what I bought into,” she
said.

She and her husband Paul have lived in their home for 31 years.
“I’ve reached a point where I don’t know if I can stand to live in
that neighborhood anymore.”

Addressing Ron Langella, she said, “I don’t subscribe to your
philosophy. This neighborhood did not have this before you moved
in. I’ve never seen people come in and have the audacity to say
‘this is our philosophy and you have to subscribe to this.'”

And, she said emotionally, wanting her home and yard to be
cat-free doesn’t mean she lacks compassion.

“My husband spent 32 years in legal services,” she said, raising
her voice in emotion. “Because I don’t want feral cats in my back
yard, I lack compassion? I’ve spent 39 years as a school
teacher.

“My letter to you is good fences make good neighbors,” she told
Langella.

Next to testify was her husband, Paul Troskosky, who spoke of
the cat feces throughout their yard, their garage and under their
deck. And he used to enjoy gardening, he said.

“It takes the joy out of it when you take a fist full of dirt
and it’s not dirt,” he said.

All the witnesses testified to cat tracks and scratches on their
vehicles, and to seeing cats roaming from the Vanderhorst property
to the Langella property at various feeding times.

Langella asked all the witnesses why they never came to him to
discuss their problems with what he was doing with the cats. All
three said they were non-confrontational people.

In addition, Paul Troskosky said since both he and Langella were
attorneys, “I was afraid a disagreement we would have in our
personal lives might spill over to our professional lives to the
detriment of my clients.”

Troskosky added that he had hoped that the Trap/Neuter/Return
program would work for the Langellas, but doesn’t believe it has
been working in the time they’ve been using it.

Troskosky was the last witness called before the meeting was
adjourned for the evening.

Board of Health President Ross Neidich told Henry and Langella
to discuss an appropriate time for the hearing to reconvene, and to
inform the board members.