Man Suspected of Breaking Cat’s Jaw

BURBANK — A 38-year-old Burbank man was arrested Sunday on suspicion of animal cruelty after he hit his 6-year-old daughter’s cat, Boots, in the face and broke the animal’s jaw, police said.

The man, William A. Painter, was watching TV about 10:40 a.m. when he apparently became enraged by the cries of the male tabby, said Burbank Police Sgt. Len Doran.

Painter, an employee of Warner Bros. in Burbank, went to quiet the feline, which was locked in the bathroom, Doran said. Painter first told police he struck the cat once but later said he hit the animal twice, “lightly” with “an open hand,” Doran said.

Painter’s wife told police she heard “crashing, the cat hissing and screaming, and him yelling” from the bathroom, said Doran, before Painter returned to the couch about 10 minutes later.

Painter asked police, “What was wrong with hitting a cat?” Doran said.

Boots was taken to Magnolia Veterinary Hospital, where he was treated for the broken jaw. The animal also lost a tooth and chipped another in the alleged attack, authorities said.

“It’s the first time I’ve heard of anything like this in 31 years,” said Doran.

Painter was being held at the Los Angeles County Men’s Central Jail. Bail was set at $15,000.

If convicted of misdemeanor animal cruelty, Painter could face a maximum of one year in the Los Angeles County jail and a $20,000 fine.