Kitten Suffers Broken Spine After Man Throws It To Ground, Euthanized

A kitten had to be euthanized after a man threw it to the ground. The incident took place in Kirtland, New Mexico, on Sept. 14.

According to the court documents released Monday, a San Juan County Sheriff's Office deputy responded to a home after receiving a report of possible domestic violence. A woman told the officer that a kitten was maliciously injured. She told him that she saw 27-year-old Roy Madrid throwing the feline to the ground outside the home.

When confronted by the officer, Madrid denied the accusation and said the feline was attacked by another animal. The woman then brought the kitten and told Madrid “look at what you did.” Madrid then took the feline out of the box and dumped it on the ground in front of the officer, who noticed that the animal was "contorted" and blood was coming from its nose.

The woman told the officer that earlier this month, the man had thrown the feline across the street during an argument with her. Meanwhile, a relative of the accused arrived at the home and took the feline to an animal shelter, where it was put down because of the extent of the injuries.

The following day, the officer spoke to the employee of the animal shelter who euthanized the kitten. The employee told the officer that though there were no external wounds, the cat had suffered internal injuries, including a possible broken spine.

Madrid, who was accused of fourth-degree felony extreme cruelty to animals, was arrested and held at the San Juan County Adult Detention Center on Monday morning. Investigation into the incident was ongoing.