A man, 52, and a woman, 39, were arrested police said on Sunday in connection with the killing of a cat in the Nicosia district earlier in the week.

Arrest warrants were issued on them after police received testimonies linking them with the killing of a cat last Thursday.

They were arrested on Saturday but were later released after the 52-year-old was charged. He is to present in court at a later stage. The woman was not charged, police said.

Animal police on Friday said they were investigating the killing of a cat in Ergates village on Thursday following complaints from the Green Party that law enforcement was dragging its feet on a particularly barbaric case of animal abuse.

The party said they had been informed directly by involved individuals that a couple they knew had violently killed their cat and then thrown the body in the rubbish. The party also released horrific photographs of the mangled body of the cat.