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Cat recovers after Oviedo man poisons it with amphetamines, police say

SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. — An Oviedo man is facing charges for allegedly poisoning his live-in girlfriend’s cat after a night of binge-drinking, according to police.

Frank Jesse is charged with animal cruelty, a felony, and domestic battery, which is a misdemeanor. Jesse remains in jail on the charges.

Read: Brevard County sheriff: Harm animals and ‘I am personally going to walk your butt into our jail’

According to an arrest report, Jesse’s girlfriend checked his phone after Jesse spent the day drinking, and after the family cat, Oliver, began exhibiting odd behavior. She discovered text messages from Jesse to a friend that he was going to poison her cat, and she also found a search history on how to kill a cat with amphetamines, the arrest report said.

“According to witnesses, it was walking in circles, its pupils were dilated,” said Bob Kealing, Seminole County Sheriff’s Office spokesman.

According to the arrest report, when the woman confronted Jesse about the messages and the cat’s odd behavior, a physical alteration erupted between the two. Jesse was arrested and charged.

Oliver the cat was taken to a nearby vet where he tested positive for amphetamines. The cat’s owner said he has since recovered and is now doing fine.

“This is a very serious charge, this is something we won’t tolerate,” Kealing said.

The animal cruelty felony charge carries with it the possibility of up to five years in prison, Kealing said.

Jeff Levkulich

Jeff Levkulich, WFTV.com

Jeff Levkulich joined the Eyewitness News team as a reporter in June 2015.