PITTSBURGH --

A veterinarian talked in graphic detail at a preliminary hearing Tuesday about the many ill cats he saw during a raid of the Tiger Ranch. Now, Linda Bruno will head to trial for the charges against her.

Although the judge has already ruled there is enough evidence against Bruno to go to trial, the defense requested the prelim continue. The hearing will continue Tuesday, according to WTAE Channel 4 Action News reporter Marcie Cipriani.

Video: Tiger Ranch Hearing Update

"I never saw -- in 17 years of my practice -- conditions like this," Dr. Ravindra Murarka, of the Pennsylvania Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, testified on Tuesday. "Most of the cats' noses were blocked. They couldn't even breathe. The mucal discharge was covering half of their faces. They couldn't open their eyes. They had ulcerations all through their mouths. They couldn't eat, couldn't drink."

Authorities said they found hundreds of sick and dead cats at Bruno's cat sanctuary in Frazer Township on March 13. Bruno is charged with 203 misdemeanor counts and 371 summary counts of cruelty to animals.

"Now that's no different than any hospice if we were dealing with people," said defense attorney Ron Valasek. "But we're dealing with cats. And people want to separate the animals from people. But we think we can convince a jury that people that people should have the right to do what they want with their animals. And they should also have the right not to kill things just because they have some kind of deformity."

Murarka was among the doctors who checked out the cats that were removed during the raid. Pictures of each animal were shown in the courtroom.

"While I was examining the cats, they were so infected, eyeballs were falling into my hands," Murarka said.

"They have to present their side," said Bruno. "And when it's my turn, look out Loretta. Because there's going to be a kaboom."

On Monday, prosecutors played audio and video recordings of officers telling Bruno that conditions on the ranch were filthy.

Allegheny County Sheriff's Detective Richard Manning described the building and properties on it as having "an odor I can't re-create in words."

Manning testified that the walls and floors were covered in animal waste and that it was hard for him to contain himself in order to do his job.

"I saw hundreds of cats in different buildings, running loose on the property, running loose in the buildings," Manning said. "The majority of the cats appeared to be lethargic. They looked in very bad shape. Most were sneezing. Some were disfigured, missing patches of fur, missing eyes."
Monday Video: Hearing Begins In Tiger Ranch Case

A PSPCA officer who was at the scene said most of the cats were "sickly." He went on to say the cats were "thin" and had an "oily" coat of fur.

The humane agent told the judge that records show that in 2008, more than 700 cats were brought to the ranch and only nine had been adopted.

Bruno, who pleaded not guilty, has never denied having sick cats on the property. She defended the conditions of her sanctuary, saying the conditions looked bad because it was a no-kill shelter and many cats are brought there to die peacefully.

"I'm just saying you're pulling them from a medical treatment building. That's like going to a hospital and saying why I'm at your hospital [is to] look at all these sick people. Not really. That's not fair," Bruno said Monday.

During the raid, more than 100 dead cats were found inside freezers, and many more were found in need of medical care elsewhere on the grounds, according to the SPCA.

Bruno said she kept the cats in the freezer because the cold ground prevented her from burying them.

"God says he never forsakes the righteous," Bruno said Monday. "I feel good, and I'm going to tell the truth and have faith in my God, and that's all I can do."

Undercover video that was shot at Tiger Ranch and obtained by Team 4 shows dead and apparently sick cats throughout the property.

Bruno said somebody planted the animals in specific locations and moved them from the medical treatment area to another part of the compound before the video was shot.

She said she is looking forward to telling her story.

"When it's our turn ... (attorney) Ron (Valasek) shall be able to show our side, and that's the beauty of the American justice system, and I'm looking forward to it," Bruno said Monday.

Bruno has said she simply cared for cats that no one else wanted.

"I'm blessed, humbled and honored by my supporters," Bruno said Monday. "We have an online petition with almost 500 signatures in support of our local humane office."

The hearing is taking two days because the list of charges is so long. It was moved to the Allegheny County Courthouse to accommodate nearly 100 spectators, witnesses and media.

---

Related Links:
More County News

Get RSS | E-Mail Alerts

---