Believe it or not, the bear was trying to eat the cat food but that does not mean he would not have hurt my cat after that if he was hungry. I felt safe opening and shutting the door slightly to make the bear nervous enough to leave and he did. My cat left for the day after that and was scared to come onto the porch when I first called her in the early evening.
It is sort of amazing that the bear at your place was nervous enough to leave after you made some noise (I am sure your presence standing there persuaded him to go as well). In the Pennsylvania case, it seems like the bear was much more aggressive (unless it got trapped inside and felt it was cornered?) Either way, I am glad that Miss Kitty is fine and eventually came home!