Man charged in shooting of 9-year-old girl's cat

BRICK - A Cedar Knoll Drive man was charged with shooting a neighbor's cat last week.

Neal Clark, 61, of Brick, was charged Sept. 19 with possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, aggravated animal cruelty and discharge of a firearm after he allegedly shot at the cat about 4 p.m. The cat died later at the Ocean County Cat Hospital in Brick, police said.

One of the cat's owners, a 9-year-old girl, came home from school to find her cat lying in her front yard bleeding from a hole in its back and hip.

The cat's owners took it to the veterinarian, where an X-ray revealed a .22-caliber bullet lodged in the cat's hip, police said.

Police said they spoke to Clark, who said he shot at the cat from his bathroom window just to "make it jump."

Police seized a total of 14 firearms from Clark's home.

Clark was placed on $5,000 bail with no 10 percent option.

He was transported to the Ocean County jail, where he later posted bail.