NEW JERSEY – A Shamong man who stood accused of throwing a cat after encouraging two other animals to attack it has been sentenced for animal cruelty.
Gary Schleinkofer, who is 37, of Fawn Lake Village pleaded guilty in municipal court to “unnecessarily (and) cruelly abusing” and “unnecessarily tormenting” a living creature, according to what the Burlington County SPCA Humane Police Department had to say.
The incident happened on Thanksgiving of last year, when Schleinkofer “allowed and encouraged a dog and cat at his home to attack his neighbor’s cat,” police said.
A short time later, he picked up the neighbor’s cat by the throat and went on to “hold it unsupported above the ground while the other cat was hanging on to it,” police stated.
When the neighbor tried to retrieve the cat, Schleinkofer then threw the animal and it landed on a pool table and slid across it, police said.
The cat suffered no serious injuries, according to reports.
Schlienkofer was fined a total of $1,000 and ordered to perform 10 days of community service. He has also been banned from owning a pet for five years, police said.
So, does this punishment fit the crime?
