MOBILE, Ala. (AP) — A Chickasaw, Ala., man awaits sentencing after he was convicted of torturing and killing a 4-month-old kitten. Prosecutors said the animal was set on fire and had its pads sliced off two of its paws.

It took a circuit jury about 15 minutes Wednesday to return a guilty verdict against 22-year-old Ralph Allen Fisk IV. He was arrested in June of 2007 and charged with first-degree cruelty to an animal by torture.

Court records showed the kitten, named Gizmo, belonged to his girlfriend. Fisk told police he got mad at the kitten when it scratched him.

Fisk faces a maximum of 10 years in prison when he is sentenced next month.

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Information from: Press-Register, http://www.al.com/mobileregister