Teens Charged After Putting Cat in Microwave

SOUTH PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Two teenage girls from Maine are facing animal cruelty charges after a video of them placing a cat in a microwave oven showed up online.

South Portland police started an investigation after getting numerous tips when the roughly 10-second video showed up on Twitter last Thursday.

The 15-year-old girls, whose names were not released because they are juveniles, were issued summonses Monday to appear in court. Police say they are students at South Portland High School.

The video shows one girl place the cat in the microwave, close the door and appear to turn it on. The other girl opens the door and removes the kitten, estimated to be about 8 weeks old.

The cat survived and has been turned over to an animal shelter.

The case remains under investigation.