WARNING: The following story discusses (in general terms), an act of cruelty toward a cat.

Jack T Henderson, who was living at 3447 Sheridan Road in Zion, Illinois, has been sentenced to a year in jail and 30 months of probation for kicking his cat Winnie to death.

The incident occured on August 23rd of last year. When officers asked Henderson what had happened, he said the 14-month-old cat had been “acting up” and scratched him. He told police he had “disciplined” Winnie by “hitting the cat with his hands and feet.”

Officers said that Henderson smelled of alcohol and told them he drank “several beers” before disciplining the cat. They reported that Henderson admitted having disciplined the cat “more than 10 times” before this incident.

Lake County Circuit Judge John Phillips also sentenced Jack Henderson, who was originally charged with animal torture but pleaded guilty Feb. 24 to a lesser charge of aggravated cruelty to an animal, to undergo treatments for mental health, substance abuse and anger management, the Daily Herald newspaper in Arlington Heights, Ill., reported Friday.

The judge also ordered Henderson to complete 200 hours of public service and remain at least 50 feet from animals during his probation.

“You are to have no contact with, nor ownership of, any animal and you cannot be within 50 feet of an animal of any kind,” Phillips said. “If you are walking down the sidewalk and you see someone walking a dog toward you, you cross the street.”

Click here for more details on the case.

Although I’m pleased that this piece of dirt got jail time, it troubles me that judges do not impose a LIFETIME ban on animal ownership and contact with animals in animal cruelty cases.