Yes, you can get arrested for smacking a cat with a sauce pan hard enough to dent the pan

A Dorchester man who allegedly does not like his girlfriend's cat found himself under arrest yesterday after police found evidence he'd whacked the cat with a sauce pan. Boston Police report charging Emmanuel Rodriguez, 22, of Dorchester, with cruelty to animals at 237 Washington St.:

Officers then entered the apartment and located the victim's white cat "Snowballs". Officers observed that the cat was bleeding from its rear paw and also had blood covering both of its front legs. Officers also observed that the cat was conscious, although, it appeared to be significantly injured. When the cat's owner attempted to pick the cat up, the cat began making loud noises.

Victim told officers that the suspect (Mr. Rodriguez) called her and stated, "I hit your cat because he knocked over the computer monitor." She then stated that Mr. Rodriguez told her he hit the cat with a sauce pan. The cat's owner then located a metal sauce pan on the floor and stated, "He hit the cat with this." Officers did observe that the sauce pan had two dents on the side of it, as well as white hair on it. Officers then observed several spots of blood on the kitchen floor and table.

Police report that the cat is recovering at Angell Memorial Hospital. Rodriguez, they say, expressed amazement he could be arrested for hitting a cat.

Innocent, etc.