A CRUEL dog walker who was caught kicking a cat days before it died has avoided jail after claiming: “I saw red”.
Terry Bree, 71, left pet-lovers sickened after the footage emerged of him booting innocent Lenny the cat.
He was also filmed appearing to berate his dog as he walked along a street in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire.
Bree has now pleaded guilty to a charge of causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal.
He avoided jail and was instead handed a 12-month community order with a requirement to complete 300 hours of unpaid work.
Magistrates were told Bree “just saw red” when he lashed out at 21-year-old moggy Larry.
The black and white cat “went downhill” after he was “viciously kicked” by Bree – although medical reports on his cause of death have been inconclusive.
In a victim impact statement read to the court, Lenny’s owner said: “Since this happened I have not been sleeping properly. I wake up during the night expecting to hear him but then remember he has passed away.
“I had Lenny since he was a kitten. I feel sickened and shocked that someone could do this to him.
“I strongly believe the shock caused his death.”
The court was shown the viral footage where Bree sends the cat flying into the air.
A police appeal was launched to find the kicker, with the pensioner coming forward to the RSPCA himself.
His lawyer Jas Thiara said Bree was very conscious the case had “caused a lot of public outcry”.
She also said he has had “issues with cats” for many years and that Bree claimed the animal had scratched his dog’s nose.
The lawyer added: “Unfortunately in this case the cat has passed. There is no medical evidence that the kick caused the death of the animal.”
As well as a community order, Bree was ordered to pay £200 in compensation, £185 in costs and a victim surcharge of £114.
He was also banned from owning or keeping a cat for the next five years.
