THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

NEW YORK — An actor and former minor league baseball player who stomped and kicked his girlfriend’s cat to death has ended the tabloid tale with 500 hours of volunteering — some of it teaching pitching, his lawyer said Friday.

Joseph Petcka’s case was conditionally discharged Friday, meaning it’s expected to be closed without jail time or probation once he pays court costs. Manhattan state Supreme Court Justice Michael Obus also let Petcka reduce his guilty plea to attempted aggravated animal cruelty, a misdemeanor. (more…)

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

TUALATIN, Ore. — An Oregon man says a 3-month-old kitten apparently hitched a cold, 120-mile ride in the wheel well of his SUV.

Marc Lichty left Olympia, Wash., after finishing a day of work Wednesday. He heard meowing when he stopped at a rest stop along the way home but couldn’t see a cat.

When he reached his home in Tualatin, Ore., he heard the meowing again and grabbed a flashlight. Sure enough, he says, “the cat was up underneath in the spare tire spot.” (more…)

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

MANKATO, Minn. — A cold kitten found a warm home in Mankato, but it wasn’t easy.

The cat was rescued after darting into the warm engine compartment of a car.

Police tell The Free Press it happened Wednesday when Nicholas Nelson braked to avoid running over the kitten, which was hunkered down in the street. The cold kitty then apparently sought a warm haven on the engine block. (more…)

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — A $1,000 reward has been offered for information leading to the conviction of those who abandoned three kittens in a Springfield landfill, including two found swimming in a pool of sewage.

The Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals on Thursday said the group is investigating the incident.

Someone at the treatment facility spotted the kittens and called for help. An animal control officer found one kitten trapped in the box while two other kittens swam in the sewage. (more…)

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

PORTLAND, Ore. — A second cat has died of swine flu in Oregon, leading veterinarians to investigate why the disease has become a threat to a household pet.

Emilio DeBess, the state public health veterinarian, said the cat died about two weeks ago on the Oregon coast after catching the H1N1 virus from its owner.

Another cat died from the virus early in November in the town of Lebanon after a child in the household got sick with swine flu. (more…)