Man charged with wounding cat, which had to be euthanized

PAWTUCKET, R.I. (AP) - A Pawtucket man has been charged with wounding his girlfriend’s cat so severely that it had to be be put down.

Scott Baptista was arraigned Friday in Providence District Court on a charge of malicious injury to or killing of an animal. He posted $200 bail.

Baptista’s girlfriend, Nicole Ricci, told WJAR-TV she returned home from work Wednesday and noticed her 2-year-old cat, Baby Girl, was acting strange. She said she left her cats with Baptista that day.

Ricci took the cat to a veterinarian, who found it had broken ribs, punctured lungs and infections. She said the cat had to be put down.

A phone number for Baptista could not be found Saturday. No one answered the phone at the public defender’s office, which was assigned to represent Baptista.