PSPCA: 19-year-old confesses to duct-taping cat

"Sticky" still doesn't have a home, but she's closer to getting justice for being body-wrapped in duct-tape and abandoned last week.

Saturday evening, following a tip, Pennsylvania SPCA law enforcement officers arrested James Davis, 19, of the 2100 block of 22d Street in North Philadelphia, according to the Pennsylvania SPCA.

If convicted, Davis faces up to two years in prison and a fine of at least $1,000, the PSPCA said.

Contrary to other reports, Davis did not turn himself in, said George Bengal, the nonprofit's director of law enforcement.

Davis admitted to impulsively taping up the cat after seeing it in the yard of the home where he lives with his parents, Bengal said.

Davis left the cat in his yard for a couple of hours, then, because the animal kept screaming, tossed it into a neighbor's yard, where at least 12 hours passed before she was noticed and authorities were contacted, Bengal said.

The cat was found Tuesday in the backyard of a house in the 2200 block of Edgley Street.

When asked how Davis managed to capture the cat, Bengal said, "The cat's a very friendly cat."

Bengal called the mistreatment a "random act" by someone with "a lot of issues going on."

A court could order a psychiatric evaluation as part of possible sentencing, according to a news release from PSCPA.

Several people have come forward claiming to own "Sticky," as the cat was nicknamed by workers at the PSCPA in North Philadelphia.

But no one has been able to prove ownership so far, About 100 people have offered to adopt the cat, and those requests are being considered in the order they came in, the PSPCA statement said.

The cat was moderately dehydrated when it was found, but wasn't otherwise injured.

She was purring before getting sedated so the tape could be removed with scissors, said spokeswoman Gail Luciani last week.

The tipster is eligible for the $2,000 reward, if Davis is convicted, Bengal said.