EASTON (AP) - A Lehigh Valley man has admitted to beating his girlfriend's cat to death for scratching him

Twenty-four-year-old Scott Deater pleaded guilty Thursday to animal cruelty.

Defense attorney Chris Spadoni says his client "blacked out" when he killed the cat in July and has anger management issues he needs help with.

Police say the Freemansburg man was left alone with the 1-year-old cat and later texted his girlfriend, saying he had injured the pet. Officers say they found the walls and floor spattered with blood and the cat dead on the living room floor when they arrived.

He will be sentenced on Jan. 8.