Wis. man pleads not guilty to killing woman’s cat

RIVER FALLS, Wis. — A 53-year-old western Wisconsin man accused of shooting and killing his neighbor’s cat has pleaded not guilty.

Gregory F. Kerr of rural River Falls is charged with mistreatment of an animal causing death. The felony count carries a maximum sentence of 18 months in prison.

A St. Paul Pioneer Press report says the neighbor found her cat shot in May with about 30 birdshot pellets.

The complaint quotes Kerr as telling police he used a .410 shotgun to shoot over a cat near his bird feeder to scare it, and the cat ran away. He’s quoted as saying cats had urinated on and around his house, and he believed they were killing pheasants and other birds.

A message left Tuesday with his defense attorney was not immediately returned.