A Scott County man is charged with animal torture after shooting a neighbor’s cat, which is now a felony under Kentucky Law.
According to a criminal complaint obtained by LEX 18, Christopher Jones, 52, of Georgetown, admitted to shooting a neighbor’s cat on Sept. 22.
He told a Scott County deputy that the cat was on his property and was being a “nuisance”. He added that the cat left paw prints on his vehicles, and he shot it with a rifle. He claimed he believed the shooting was lawful.
The cat’s owners then brought the cat to a veterinarian, where the cat was euthanized.
“They say it pierced his chest cavity,” said Kristi Brandenburg, the cat’s owner. Brandenburg also said the cat’s leg was broken in the incident.
Authorities have charged Jones with felony torture of a dog or cat.
‘Ethan’s Law’, which passed in the state legislature earlier this year, defined “torture” of a dog or cat as the, “intentional infliction of or subjections to extreme physical pain or serious injury or death to a dog or cat, motivated by intent or wanton disregard that causes, increases, or prolongs the pain or suffering of the dog or cat, including serious physical injury or infirmity.”