Teenagers charged with fatally cooking cat

CAMROSE, Alberta, Jan. 6 (UPI) -- Police in the Canadian province of Alberta have charged four teenage boys with killing a cat by cooking it in a microwave oven during a recent break-in.

Police allege that after breaking into a home in Camrose, near Edmonton, last month the four teens took a cat living there and cooked it inside the oven, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reported Sunday.

Police Inspector Lee Foreman said the alleged actions of the teenagers, who range from 13 to 15 years of age, were particularly disturbing since it occurred during the holiday season.

"I've been policing for over 25 years and I've never encountered anything quite like this," Foreman said. "It's very disturbing. It's especially sad given the season."

The cat's owners found the animal dead inside the microwave upon returning home from their holiday travels.

The CBC said the teens, none of whom are related to the home's owners, have been charged with unlawfully killing an animal, theft, and breaking and entering.