SAYVILLE, N.Y., Feb. 29 (UPI) -- A Long Island, N.Y., man is accused of killing one of his girlfriend's cats after he lost his temper with the family felines.
David Wrigley pleaded not guilty Wednesday to felony animal cruelty in the death of Maddeline, an 8-year-old cat. Wrigley's former girlfriend said her other cat, Jynx, suffered broken ribs and other injuries, New York Newsday reported.
"These cats are my babies. They're not just cats to me. They're my children. I can't forgive this person," Sara Sabol told the newspaper.
Police said the cats were injured when Wrigley, 24, tried to move them from behind the bed in the home he and Sabol shared in Selden, N.Y. When the cats refused to budge, he allegedly yanked the bed out and then slammed it back, crushing the cats between the bed and the wall, the newspaper said.
Wrigley said he never meant to hurt the cats and lamented that he lost "a girl that he loved."
