Cat burned, beaten, and tortured on Upper East Side

UPPER EAST SIDE, Manhattan (WABC) -- A woman's cat viciously burned, beaten, and tortured on the Upper East Side.

The helpless cat was found by its owner with broken bones, missing teeth, and claws.

The shocking part of this story is not only had the abuse gone on for weeks, but it was apparently at the hands of the woman's roommate.

"Follows me around greets me at the door, very attached to me," the cat owner said.

A playful and curious cat, 3-year-old Lucy and her owner welcomed 24-year-old Declan Garrity as a roommate into their Upper East Side home just three months ago.

"He said he liked cats, he's had cats in the past," she said.

But almost immediately, Lucy's owner noticed subtle changes in her behavior and unexplained injuries.

"She had some problems with her claws, some of them were missing. I came home one day and there was blood on her paws so I took her to the vet right away that day," the owner said.

Then about a month ago, Lucy was discovered with a broken pelvis, which Garrity blamed on an iron falling on the cat.

Still, nothing seemed outright suspicious until last week when Lucy was found tucked in her crate underneath a bed with a broken foot.

"She looked bad, like she was breathing with her mouth open. She just looked limp," she said.

Lucy was rushed to The Animal Medical Center where a vet determined the fragile cat had actually been brutally beaten and tortured for weeks.

Her injuries range from missing teeth and claws, to broken bones, and burns all over her body.

"Once you see that someone can do this to a cat, you wonder, what can they do to me? Am I safe here?" she said.

Garrity, a financial analyst with Barclays, was arrested and charged with two counts of felony aggravated animal cruelty.

Now released on bond, Lucy's owner says she's still in disbelief Garrity could be so heartless.

"I want him to get the punishment he deserves," the cat's owner said.

Meanwhile as Lucy endures several painful surgeries, vets are hopeful she'll make a full recovery.

"She's very strong and she's made a lot of progress in the last few days," she said.