Authorities have charged a Rowan County man with felony animal cruelty after they say he threw a kitten 30 feet, causing injuries that forced Animal Control to euthanize the cat.

Jeremy Edward Austin, 30, of the 100 block of Ashley Drive, was charged Saturday, the day the crime allegedly occurred, according to a county magistrate’s order. He was placed in the Rowan County jail under a $2,500 secured bond and remained there Monday evening.

According to the magistrate’s order, when Austin grabbed the kitten and threw it, the animal suffered a broken hip and leg and internal injuries. The document does not provide a suspected motive for the crime, nor does it say who reported it.

The kitten belonged to Austin’s 7-year-old son, according to a Rowan County Sheriff’s Office spokesman.

Austin is scheduled to appear in Rowan County District Court on Tuesday.