72-Year-Old Accused Of Shooting Neighbor's Cats With Pellet Gun, Causing 1 To Be Euthanized

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A Long Island man was arrested Thursday after allegedly shooting his neighbor's cats with a pellet gun.

The first incident happened in early September.

Suffolk County Police say a man who lives on Puritan Drive in Mount Sinai noticed one of his cats was walking with a limp and took it to the veterinarian.

The vet said the cat had been shot with a pellet gun, and the cat had to be euthanized because of its injuries.

On Thursday, the same resident noticed two of his other cats were limping and a vet determined they had also been shot with a pellet gun.

Both cats are being treated for their injuries.

The cat owner then called police to report the incidents.

Investigators determined 72-year-old Clifford Nagel, the man's neighbor, had shot all three cats.

Nagel was arrested and charged with three counts of aggravated cruelty to animals.