AUBURN – A local man was sentenced Friday to seven days in jail for beating his girlfriend’s cat with a broomstick and hurling it over a porch railing.

Gary Lee Monto, 52, wept as he apologized in court for the incident that happened last November.

“I am very sorry for what I did to that cat. There is not a day that goes by when I don’t think about what I did. I know animals have feelings, too,” he said.

Monto described the incident as isolated, and he blamed it on the fact that he hadn’t taken medication that day for his mental health problems.

“He’s 52 years old, and he’s never had as much as a speeding ticket,” said Monto’s lawyer, Henry Griffin.

Police officers responded to Monto’s second-story home on Sabattus Street at about 8 p.m. on Nov. 30, after dispatchers received a call from someone inside the apartment.

The caller reported that a man was beating a cat and a woman was screaming at him to stop.

When officers arrived, Monto was inside his apartment, and the cat – a female calico named Candy – was lying on the pavement below the porch.

The animal was rushed to a local veterinary clinic and euthanized. She had suffered massive head injuries.

Investigators said Monto beat and kicked it several times before hurling the animal over his porch railing.

He was initially charged with two felonies: aggravated cruelty to animals and refusing to submit to arrest. The state agreed to drop both charges in exchange for a plea to a misdemeanor.

Monto pleaded no contest Friday to the charge of cruelty to animals. The charge carries a maximum of one year behind bars.

The state asked for a 90-day jail sentence, followed by one year of probation. Monto’s attorney argued for a sentence that didn’t include any jail time.

Griffin told Justice Ellen Gorman that Monto is not a risk to society, he is remorseful and he takes his mental health problems very seriously. Monto’s girlfriend, the owner of the cat, also urged the judge to go easy on Monto.

“I realize that he never meant to hurt that animal. I know it was wrong and I’m very sorry it happened. But I know Gary didn’t mean it,” she said.

In the end, Gorman decided 90 days was too harsh and no jail time was too lenient. She sentenced Monto to 364 days in jail with all but seven days suspended, followed by one year of probation.

As conditions of his probation, he cannot have contact with domesticated animals and he must continue to take his medication.