Man Drowns Pet Cat 'Accidentally' After Being Clawed During Bath

A Dallas, Texas, man killed his pet cat after the animal clawed him during bath, an arrest warrant affidavit released Friday stated.

The incident came to light after 25-year-old Skyler Leviathan Sullivan called 311 on Jan.17 and informed that his cat was in shock and that it needed immediate help. When officers arrived at his apartment in southeast Dallas, Sullivan told them he was giving the cat a bath during which the feline dug her claws into his tattoo. He said he lost his cool and "accidentally tried to drown it." Sullivan also said he unsuccessfully attempted to revive the cat and that he was not a monster, the Dallas News reported.

The cat was taken to a local veterinarian who said the feline had died from “nonaccidental trauma” caused by the drowning. During interrogation, Sullivan said he was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). “I can't just keep using my PTSD as an excuse to hurt an animal,” he told the officers.

Sullivan was taken to Parkland Memorial Hospital for mental health evaluation and arrested on charges of animal cruelty on April 26. He was held at the Dallas County jail on $5,000 bond. Sullivan was released May 2 after posting the bond, which prohibited him from having any pets. The location of his tattoo remained unknown and it was also unclear if Sullivan had an attorney. The case was ongoing.

The incident comes a few months after a man allegedly threw his girlfriend’s cat from the 45th floor of an apartment in Australia after the feline scratched his leg. His girlfriend told the court that she got out of the shower saw Cheng Lu throwing her pet out of the balcony. She then quickly dressed up and rushed down to find the cat dead. Her boyfriend, however, maintained that it was an accident. He said he got annoyed after the cat scratched him and “only intended to put the cat on to the balcony, not over the balcony.”