Authorities: Teen cooked ex-roomie's cat

NEW YORK, June 5 (UPI) -- Authorities in New York said a self-proclaimed cat hating teenager broke into her ex-roommate's apartment and killed a cat by cooking it in the stove.

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals said Cheyenne Cherry, 17, admitted to breaking into ex-roomie Valerie Hernandez's apartment alongside an unidentified juvenile May 6 and trashed the interior of the home before throwing Hernandez's kitten, Tiger Lily, into the kitchen stove and turning up the heat, the New York Daily News reported Friday.

ASPCA assistant director Joe Pentangelo said Cherry told authorities that she and her accomplice "thought we would play a joke on Valerie and mess up her apartment."

Asked about why the cat was placed in the oven, Cherry responded: "I hate cats," Pentangelo said.

"She didn't want to hear the cat crying and scratching at the oven door," Pentangelo said of why Cherry turned on the oven.

Pentangelo said the pair of intruders also allegedly threw bleach on the walls of the apartment, slashed furniture, unscrewed light bulbs and took DVDs and packages of noodles from the residence.

"I think what was done cries out for justice," Pentangelo said. "It's a shame that this kitten had to suffer like this. For the kitten to get caught up in whatever was going on with them is a tragedy."

Cherry was charged with aggravated cruelty to animals, burglary, arson, reckless endangerment and criminal mischief. The unidentified juvenile was not arrested.