Woman shot dead husband because he bashed family cat: police

A woman has been jailed on murder charges after she shot and killed her husband during a fight over the family cat, US police said.

Mary Harrison was arrested on a murder charge after her husband Dexter was shot and later died. Source: Dallas Police Department

A 47-year-old woman has told detectives she shot dead her husband because he had been bashing the family cat, police in the US said.

Dallas police said Mary Harrison was arrested on a murder charge following the death of 49-year-old Dexter Harrison.

Police claimed the Saturday (local time) shooting happened during an argument.

Mr Harrison was taken to hospital where he later died.

On Sunday, police said Harrison told detectives that her husband had been “beating their cat”.

According to AP, neighbours claimed the cat had gone missing recently.

Mrs Harrison had put up posters in the area about the disappearance and the cat eventually returned home.

“A man got shot over a cat? It’s kind of crazy. It’s unbelievable … I mean, people love their pets, but it ain’t that serious… to die for a cat,” neighbour Carl Phillips told CBS local news.

Mrs Harrison is being held in Dallas County’s Lew Sterrett jail on a $US100,000 bond.