A grandmother killed a pet cat and its four kittens with a hammer as punishment for her grandchildren not cleaning their rooms, according to an Illinois sheriff's office.
Josephine E. Bell, 71, of Godfrey, just north of St. Louis, was charged with felony aggravated animal cruelty and was held Monday in the Madison County Jail on $15,000 bond,
reported KMOV-TV.
One of Bell's teenage children contacted the sheriff's office on Monday night after finding her pet cat dead in a freezer. Bell told investigating officers that she took a hammer to the cat and four kittens.
The sheriff's office summoned animal control agents to the home to take custody of the dead cat but they couldn't find the kittens.
"Bell told the deputy that she previously had told her grandchildren that if they didn't clean their rooms they were going to lose all their animals,"
according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "Bell told the deputy that she didn't feel like she should have to take care of the cats and had killed them with a hammer."
Authorities told the Post-Dispatch they believe the kittens were "thrown away."
Numerous people shared their outrage on social media.
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