Father Arrested on Charges of Beating Daughter’s Cat

A 38-year-old Burbank man was arrested Sunday on suspicion of animal cruelty after he allegedly hit his 6-year-old daughter’s cat, Boots, in the face and broke the animal’s jaw, police said.

The man, William A. Painter, was watching television about 10:40 a.m. when he apparently became enraged by the cries of the male tabby, Burbank Police Sgt. Len Doran said.

Painter, an employee of Warner Bros. in Burbank, went to quiet the cat, which was locked in the bathroom, Doran said. Painter first told police he struck the cat once but later said he hit the animal twice, lightly with an open hand, Doran said.

Painter’s wife told police she heard “crashing, the cat hissing and screaming, and him yelling” from the bathroom before Painter returned to the couch about 10 minutes later, Doran said.

The cat was taken to Magnolia Veterinary Hospital, where he was treated for the broken jaw. The animal also lost a tooth and chipped another in the attack, authorities said.