Fort Myers man arrested for shooting neighbor's cat

A Fort Myers man, Nicholas Laney, was arrested on an aggravated animal cruelty charge after deputies say he shot a neighborhood stray cat in the leg with a blue BB gun, breaking its leg. The incident occurred amid a neighborhood dispute over chickens, with neighbors noting the cat Tubby had been fed and was friendly. Laney claimed the cat killed his chickens, and investigators say the shooting happened while the cat was in a neighbor’s yard. Sheriff Carmine Marceno condemned animal abuse and emphasized zero tolerance, noting the cat is recovering and that authorities will aggressively pursue such cases. Laney was bonded out after the arrest, with a BB gun recovered at his home and a court date set for mid-September, as neighbors describe affected pets and ongoing tensions over livestock.