Cat Killing Was Self-Defense: Ex-Ballplayer

Joseph Petcka doesn’t deny he beat his girlfriend’s cat to death, but he says it was self-defense, the New York Daily News reports. The ex-Mets prospect and bit-part actor (one episode of Sex and the City) says the 7-pound tabby tried to bite him. Prosecutors say Petcka screamed, “You love that cat more than me!” before pummeling Norman in cold blood.

Petcka’s girlfriend, Sports Illustrated writer Lisa Altobelli, will take the stand tomorrow. Prosecutors spent 17 months bringing Petcka to trial, intent on charging him with aggravated cruelty to animals, a charge that could land him 2 years in prison. The case has incensed pet lovers, but others think prison is too harsh. “This kind of case is a waste of taxpayers’ money,” said one dismissed juror. (More animal cruelty stories.)