A man in Florida was arrested Monday for allegedly cutting off the tails of five of his neighbor's kittens after an argument, authorities said.
The man, 68-year-old James Steele Reid of Anthony, Florida, allegedly used garden sheers to amputate the tails off the five-month-old kittens following a fight with his 78-year-old neighbor, James Garemore, whose wife warned him to stay away from their pets.
Authorities said Reid had been volunteering on Garemore's farm in Ocala at the time, but it wasn't immediately clear what initiated the fight.
After the argument, Reid drove from the Garemore's house to their barn and allegedly cut off the kittens' tails, walking out with four of them in his hand, according to a report filed by the Marion County Sheriff's Office.
That's when Reid allegedly told an eyewitness he wanted Garemore's wife to "look at those cats and think of him."
The officer who responded to the incident took photos of the mutilated kittens:
Marion County Animal Control veterinarians told investigators that Reid carried out the "tail docking" improperly because he did not use anesthetic or stitch up the wounds. Cat tails should also be docked when the animals are between three and five days old, they added.
Reid, who faces animal cruelty charges, declined to comment. The Garemores did not immediately respond to request for comment.