Allen Crim, 13, and Edward Humphrey, 18, were charged Monday with animal cruelty for cutting a cat's throat and drinking its blood in a vampire ritual in an abandoned house.
The stray Manx cat weighing 8 pounds, called Zero, survived the ordeal and received 12 stitches.
Crim could have been released but his father wasn't ready to take him. Humphrey a transient staying at a downtown church that helps the homeless was jailed in lieu of $5,000 bond.
Crim's father said regarding son's release, "I've got kids. I've got family. We have three cats and a dog. If he could slit a cat's throat, he could slit mine."
The two teens were seen holding the cat Sunday at the vacant house. The wounded cat was found Monday morning at 240 Sixth Avenue North by a woman who does odd jobs there. A neighbor who fed the stray cat noticed two lacerations on her neck Monday morning and called the police.
The investigators found a razor blade covered with blood and cat hair. When the teens were identified, it was determined they drank some of the cat's blood.
Crim's father said, "I've cried all night and I've cried all day. I want to help my son, but he's involved in something I can't deal with."
The cat will survive after being treated at the Haines Road Animal Hospital.
The woman who found the cat is interested in adopting her.
Neighborhood MapFor more information about the Interactive Animal Cruelty Maps, see the map notes.
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