A Frazer woman was released from jail on bond yesterday to await her hearing on multiple animal cruelty charges that have engendered intense reactions from accusers and supporters alike.

On one side of the debate, the raid of Linda Bruno's no-kill Tiger Ranch Farm exposed horrific conditions for more than 400 cats, some of which were sick or dying.

But Ms. Bruno's supporters portray the 45-year-old woman as a kind, caring soul who at worst became overwhelmed by the number of animals she had in her charge. They said that's because she never refused the sick, injured or feral cats brought there by shelters and individuals from Western Pennsylvania and out of state.

"She didn't abuse animals by any means," said Patti DeNardo of Cranberry, who got her four healthy cats from Ms. Bruno. "We would spend hours out there. It was almost getting to be more like a hospice for animals because everybody brought her sick animals.

"She didn't believe in killing them. Aren't we allowed to believe what we want?"

But Lisa Rodgers, director of outreach for the Pennsylvania Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, which was among the agencies involved in the raid of the farm Friday, said whatever Ms. Bruno's intentions, the result was cruelty. She noted that 105 cat carcasses were found in freezers, a dozen sick or dying cats were discovered in an "isolation room" where they were put to die, and others were living in squalid conditions.

"She may fit the classic definition of a hoarder who wants to save and rescue every animal," Ms. Rodgers said, "but [there is a problem] when you start deciding how much animals should suffer, to put cats in a room and let them die, when you see that as a better option than euthanasia. Suffering cannot be accepted."

The PSPCA initially said upward of 700 cats were taken from the farm in the raid by police and humane agents, but Ms. Rodgers said the figure actually was about 450. The higher number, she said, was based on an undercover investigation by an inactive humane officer who began volunteering at the farm last summer. Some cats may have been released into the wild when Ms. Bruno caught wind that the raid was coming, Ms. Rodgers said.

Of the total number of cats taken from the farm -- along with some dogs, horses and a goat -- 406 are being treated and housed at a temporary shelter at the Clarion County Humane Society in Shippenville. Another 40 cats either died en route or had to be euthanized, "and the number is climbing," Ms. Rodgers said.

Lee Nesler, executive director of the Western Pennsylvania Humane Society, which was not involved in the raid, said her agency stopped giving cats to Tiger Ranch Farm in 2002 because its humane agents felt Ms. Bruno had too many animals, even if there were no signs of abuse at that time. She noted that there is no law that limits the number of cats a person can have.

Since then, Ms. Nesler said, her agency's humane agents investigated a handful of complaints about the farm but no abuse was found. The most recent inspection was in October.

"They once again counseled her about how many animals she had. I believe it was 350 at the time," she said. "If you continually take in animals and don't have the facility and staff grow at that rate, this situation may occur. If the numbers got out of hand, someone had to step in to help the animals. That's what we're all trying to do.

"I believe in her heart she believed she was doing the right thing. We would do it differently. Our belief is that humane euthanasia is better than letting the animal suffer."

Ms. Bruno's preliminary hearing is tomorrow.