Man, 40, charged with assaulting woman, killing cat

A 40-year-old man has been charged with assault with a weapon and animal cruelty after a cat was found dead in a rooming house Saturday.

The 43-year-old woman went to a common hallway of the house in the 400 block of William Avenue to investigate after hearing a cat in distress.

Police said she found a dead kitten in the hallway and confronted a male resident she believed was responsible for the animal’s death.

On Tuesday, the woman spoke through tears as she recalled the incident.

Standing inside the residence, she said she called 911 at around 11 p.m. after hearing the kitten in distress and a commotion between the accused and another resident.

“He just slammed the door on the cat’s neck,” she said.

“I said: ‘I’m phoning the police,’” she said. “And that’s when he whipped a knife at me. He missed my head.”

The woman said she and two other women who live in the house regularly care for neighbourhood cats.

Police said officers who responded to the call took the man into custody and seized a knife.

The man, who wasn’t named, is facing charges of assault with a weapon, possession of a weapon, and killing or injuring animals. He was released on an undertaking.

The woman said police responded quickly and arrested the man, but he later returned.

She said he kicked in windows at the rooming house. Police were called a second time and upon arriving, they told him to stay away from the residence. The woman said she and the other two residents worry the man will come back.

“We haven’t slept right since,” she said.

morgan.modjeski@freepress.mb.ca