Cat wandered onto man's property, so he allegedly shoot and killed the owner: report

A cat wandered into a Florida man’s property and police say the man got agitated and killed the cat’s owner over the pet.

On Oct. 20, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office in Florida said they responded to a call of a reported shooting.

An investigation began and officials determined that Clifton Anthony Bliss Jr. got angry when his neighbor’s pet entered his property.

Sgt. Paul Bloom said, “Mr. Bliss was so upset that his neighbor’s cat had wandered over into his yard that he went, retrieved a rifle, leaves his home, goes across the street to the victim’s home, tells them that he was upset that their cat came into his yard,” WFLA reported.

According to authorities, Bliss was armed with a .22-caliber rifle when he went to the neighbor’s house. He went over mad about the cat but then shifted his anger to the owner.

“The victim, Mr. (James Arland Taylor Jr.), tells him, ‘Please don’t shoot my cat.' Mr. Bliss decides, ‘You know what, I’m just going to shoot him.’ So he shot Mr. Taylor and killed him there,” Bloom told WFLA. The cat was not hurt, officials said.

According to witnesses, Taylor was shot twice in the chest by Bliss. Neighbors said Bliss would often fight with the people on the block regarding their pets.

Bliss was arrested and charged with second-degree homicide, police said.

He was booked into the Marion County Jail and is being held without bond, authorities said. He is set to appear in court at the end of November.