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Man Stomps and Kills Cat, Defends Actions to FOX17

Posted at 3:05 PM, Apr 11, 2014
and last updated 2014-04-11 22:19:12-04

CEDAR SPRINGS, Mich (April 11, 2014) – A Cedar Springs man faces a felony charge for allegedly killing a cat that ran into his home and started fighting with his two dogs.

cat killer image

Michael Stackhouse (Friday, April 11th)

The incident happened at a home in the Cedar Springs Mobile Estates on Monday just before 4:00 p.m.

Investigators say a homeowner called police saying a cat had jumped over a partial door barrier into a mobile home and was now fighting with their two dogs.

“I was walking into my kitchen, this cat jumps over that and into my house.”, said Michael Stackhouse.  “It goes into my kitchen. I tried to grab it to “shoo” it out the door.”

“I grabbed it with one hand and I yanked it away out from underneath the bed and away from the dogs and when I did that it hit the wall or the door jam or something.”, said Stackhouse.

The 9-1-1 caller later informed dispatch that the cat may have been killed by her husband.

“It started twitching. I didn’t mean to hurt it. I was just trying to get it out and away from the dogs and in the process it got hurt.”, said Stackhouse.

Michael Patrick Stackhouse, 35, of Cedar Springs is accused of throwing the cat into the street in front of children and neighbors.

Investigators say he later admitted to stomping on the cat’s head to put it out of its misery because it was lying in the street twitching from seizures.

“When you have 15 to 20 people all around you and I wasn’t thinking clearly. I wasn’t and I do feel bad. I did stomp the cat in front of god and everybody.”, said Stackhouse.  “Yes, it was my wrongful judgment in stomping that cat. You know, what I’m calling, telling everybody euthanizing.”

“The cat came into my house. I was just trying to defend my house. My wife, she’s allergic to cats. It was fighting with my dog. I got tiny kids. I don’t know what that cat is going to do. I didn’t know nothing about this cat.”, said Stackhouse.

On Wednesday, Stackhouse was arrested on a felony charge of Animal Cruelty Causing Death.  He’ll be back in court for a preliminary examination later this month.

Stackhouse says he’s facing up to 8 years in prison if convicted instead of 4 years because of prior convictions for home invasion and drugs.