Mowgli, a two-year-old cat from England, is too afraid to leave his owner's apartment ever since a man, now suspected to be 20-year-old Rian Richards, spun him around more than 14 times by his tail, nearly smashing his skull into the pavement, the Telegraph reported.
"I heard a demonic laugh and a commotion and looked outside to see someone swinging something around," Lynne Jarvis, the owner's neighbor, told the paper. "At first I thought it was a black cardigan but then I realised it was Mowgli."
The "sickening" incident was captured on a CCTV camera near the apartment of Michelle Buchanan, Mowgli's owner. The footage was handed over to RSPCA, which asked for the public's help in identifying the man responsible.
Buchman, an IT teacher, didn't find out about the incident until she got home from work.
"It's horrific. I can't believe anyone would do something that cruel," she said, according to the Mirror.
"Mowgli is emotional. He's just distraught. He won't go out the door."
According to the report, an RSPCA spokesperson confirmed that the suspect handed himself in voluntarily, and "is now helping us with our enquiries."
The disturbing video echoes many previous incidents of cat abuse.
Last month, after being thrown out of the window of a moving car, a black cat was fed and nursed back to health and taken to the RSPCA. After an inspector took her back to the place where she was found, the cat became increasingly vocal, and led the inspector to her litter of kittens, saving their lives.
Last year, an international frenzy was sparked when surveillance video captured Mary Bale, 45, dumping a 4-year-old cat into a trash can, closing the lid, and walking away. After being confronted by the media, Bale said she didn't understand why people took offense.
"I did it as a joke because I thought it would be funny. I never thought it would be trapped. I expected it to wriggle out." She later apologized for her comments.
If you suspect animal cruelty in the U.S., visit the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animal's (ASPCA) searchable database of nearly 5,000 community SPCAs, humane societies and animal control organizations. If you want to help an animal in need, visit Petfinder.com.
WATCH (Warning: Disturbing Footage Of Animal Abuse):
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