Me-ow! Landlord Kills Tenant's Cat: Cops

Man said the landlord said the cat wasn't allowed by lease

A Torrington landlord is under arrest after police say he killed his tenant's cat.

Paul Milton, 36, was arrested on July 26 by Torrington police and charged with animal cruelty.

Milton's tenant, John Schaiver, 29, told police that Milton shot the cat with a pellet gun on July 11, and then struck the animal with a shovel several times, the Register Citizen reported.

According to a police report, Schaiver told authorities Milton had been shooting at squirrels with the pellet gun for weeks.  On July 11, he heard the gun go off. Moments later, he saw his brother's cat "flopping" on the porch, the paper reported.

When Schaiver confronted his landlord about the incident, Milton reportedly replied, "You didn't pay the extra $25 for a cat to be here."

Police found a dead squirrel in the yard, but no sign of the cat. 

Milton denies killing the cat and was released on $1,000 bond. He will be in Bantam Superior Court on Aug. 25.

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