Man Gets Year in Jail After Abusing This Cat

A California man convicted of drug charges and, more sensationally, of using duct tape to bind the paws of a cat has received a one-year prison sentence, the Los Angeles Daily News reports. Tyler Scott Vest, 23, of Valencia also received three years' probation and 24 hours of animal cruelty counseling after pleading no contest to a misdemeanor animal cruelty charge and a felony drug charge. Vest, along with 27-year-old Kylie Stringer of Canyon Country, was arrested late Jan. 9, when deputies searched their vehicle and found narcotics and paraphernalia, according to the Los Angeles Times.

One deputy tells a reporter he heard a cat in distress. He asked if there was an animal in the car, and Stringer said yes. The cat, found inside a carrier, was bound with tape, according to a press release. The cat, which animal care workers named Lily, later recovered at an shelter, per the Times. Stringer, who also pleaded no contest, will have to attend counseling, serve 15 days community service, and be on probation for three years. Both Vest and Stringer are prohibited from possessing or having direct access to animals for five years, according to reports. (More animal cruelty stories.)