The third part of the appeals hearings for public nuisance
citations for the Bradford people caring for feral cats has been
put off until January.

Sue Yeager, secretary for the Code Enforcement Office of the
City of Bradford, explained Monday that because of the holidays and
trips scheduled by hearing participants, the next part of the
hearing is tentatively scheduled for the second week of
January.

At the same time, the Pittsburgh-area animal lovers who have
joined in the fight have continued to inundate The Era and Bradford
City Hall with letters in support of Ron and Cathy Langella and
Siglinde Vanderhorst, those cited for feeding and sheltering the
cats.

Since Nov. 20, The Era has received more than 150 form letters
which read, in part, as follows: “It has come to my attention that
The Board of Health and The City Council of Bradford are intending
to impose a ban on the feeding and sheltering of stray and feral
cats. If they do so, the city, itself, will be breaking a
Pennsylvania cruelty law by enforcing animal abandonment and
leaving helpless cats to die.”

The letters continue, voicing support for the animal caretakers
and for all efforts towards a program of Trap/Neuter/Release, “the
only effective, humane solution to cat over-population.”

On Dec. 14, a batch of 40 form letters were sent to The Era from
Dr. Anthony Barton, professor of psychology at Duquesne University
in Pittsburgh, along with an introductory letter from Barton
himself.

The letter, addressed to the mayor and Bradford City Council,
the letter asks “the council to find a peaceful and humane
resolution to the situation of stray/feral cats in your community
and of neighbors in hostile conflict.”

“This is only partly a cat problem – in fact it is mostly a
problem of home beings,” Barton wrote. “So these letters invite the
human beings (specifically the members of council) to live out
their better human side, their humane side, so as to resolve these
issues in such a way to foster peace, kindness and the resolution
of the small war around these issues in Bradford.”

Barton and Carolyn DeForest, outreach director of the Homeless
Cat Management Team in Pittsburgh, attended the second appeals
hearing held Nov. 27.

DeForest had planned to testify on behalf of the Langellas and
Vanderhorst regarding the Trap/Neuter/Release program, but Ron
Langella had not presented enough advance notice to Code
Enforcement counsel Greg Henry to allow him to prepare to question
her.

Therefore, her testimony was scheduled to be presented at the
third session of the hearing.