Two women who would neuter stray moggies after trapping them with food have been found guilty of all charges against them.
Beverly Roberts, 85, and Mary Alston, 61, were arrested after officers found them trying to feed and trap stray cats in Wetumpka, Alabama, US.
Once the animals are trapped the women would pay to have them neutered and then try and get them adopted or returned to the wild.
Roberts was charged with criminal trespassing and disorderly conduct. Alston was charged with criminal trespassing and interfering with governmental operations, reports Montgomery Advertiser.
In a dramatic courtroom appearance where the local mayor was called to the stand, the two were found guilty of all four charges.
Both were sentenced to two years of unsupervised probation and 10 days in jail with the jail time suspended.
They were also ordered to each pay $100 fines plus cover court costs.
Defence attorneys Terry Luck and William Shashy argued the charges should be thrown out because feeding stray cats isn't against the law in Wetumpka.
They also claimed Wetumpka Mayor Jerry Willis ordered Roberts' arrest because she often complained about animal welfare in the city, something the mayor denied.
Luck asked Willis.: "Did you order the arrest of Beverly Roberts?"
"No," the mayor said.
"Did you play any part in the trespass order for Mrs. Roberts?" Luck followed up.
To which the mayor responded: "I did not."
The two defendants' attorneys have said they intend to appeal the verdict and demand a jury trial.
On June 25, the day of the incident, Alston was questioned by police while sitting in her car on a vacant lot owned by Elmore County.
Roberts arrived later and they were told the city didn't want them feeding the cats. The argument escalated and both women were arrested on misdemeanour charges.
During the court case, attorneys claim the two were targeted and harassed by the responding officers, something Police Chief Greg Benton previously denied.
Benton revealed the women had been “repeatedly” warned prior to being arrested and had trespassed on the property - despite being told not to.
Mr Luck argued the arrests of the women were baseless and believes the pair were performing an act of kindness to feed and neuter the animals - in order to stop the stray animals from breeding.
Richie Beyer, chief operations officer for the county, testified that feeding the cats in the lot can attract which can lead to damage to surrounding vehicles.
The arrests of the two women have attracted media attention beyond Wetumpka, a city of 7,200 people that's located around 15 miles of Montgomery.
The prosecution assigned the case to Brad Ekdahl said head of the court appearance he's aware of the public outcry after their arrests and admitted he has noticed the "outside noise" associated with the charges.
