CAT OWNER ACCUSED OF HACKING PET TO PIECES.

Byline: Greg Botonis Staff Writer

LANCASTER - Sheriff's investigators say they believe a Lancaster man cut off his cat's head and tail and threw the body parts off his second-floor balcony, though they don't know why.

Jared Standish, 22, was arrested on suspicion of felony animal cruelty on Friday and is due in court on April 29, officials said. He was released Tuesday on bond, records show

``Based on informants' statements, it is believed that the suspect mutilated his own cat,'' said Deputy Dan Burdick of the Lancaster sheriff's station.

Deputies were called to the apartment building in the 4200 block of West Avenue L about 11:30 p.m. Friday when a resident reported finding the body and severed tail of a house cat on her balcony. Other residents called deputies about the same time to report finding a cat's head on the hood of a car in the parking lot.

Witnesses identified the cat as Standish's, and deputies said they found a blood trail to the landing near Standish's apartment.

Deputies said Standish refused to let them into his apartment for 10 to 15 minutes and refused to talk about the cat. Once he allowed them inside, deputies said they discovered more blood stains and saw that Standish had several fresh scratches on his wrists and hands.