Joseph Petcka, a small time actor who had bit roles in ‘Sex and the City’ and other TV shows, is on trial for felony animal cruelty after savagely killing his girlfriends cat on March 27th, 2007.

Petcka’s defense is that he killed his girlfriend’s cat, Norman, in self defense. However, those claims were shot down after Lisa Altobelli told the courts her cat had been declawed.

Altobelli, a writer for Sports Illustrated, testified that she had a weird feeling about the relationship between her beloved pet and her boyfriend at the time.

She explained that one day she came home to her apartment and found her cat soaking wet and in shock. Norman wanted nothing to do with Petcka and seemed afraid of him.

“He was hissing. Obviously, that was a huge red flag.”

On the night of Norman’s death, Altobelli says that the couple got into an argument after Petcka had been drinking heavily.  He told her, “You love that cat more than me!”  Shortly after she went to bed.  She recalled hearing Petcka calling sweetly to the feline, “Norman… Norman…”

Next thing she remembers is being woken up by Petcka who grabed her neck and kneed her in the side.  He told her that Norman had attacked him.  She grabbed her purse and ran from her apartment screaming for him to leave or she would call the cops.

He left, but when she returned home she found Norman, beaten to death. “He was dead,” she said. “I put my hand there. He was cold and stiff.”

When she called and confronted him he simply hung up on her.

The cat reportedly died “extensive beating that caused broken ribs and massive internal injuries,” according to the ASPCA official who will be testifying against Petcka in court today.

Petcka faces two years in prison if convicted.

I think they should declaw Petcka.  With a rusty old pair of pliers.