Lisa Marchesoni
Posted: Tuesday, January 6, 2009 3:10 pm

Jonathon Watts holds Kitty Kitty who he found in the fridge after his home was burglarized.

When Jonathan Watts returned home, he heard his kitten, Kitty Kitty, yelping and crying but couldn’t locate her.

He tracked the young stray he adopted recently to the extra cold refrigerator where he found the shaking Kitty covered in leftover Chinese food and raw eggs Monday afternoon in his North Church Street home.

“She was in shock,” Watts recalled. “She didn’t want me to touch her. I put her in the bathroom with a space heater and shut the door. I tried to get her warm, gave her a bath and washed the Chinese food off of her.”

Originally, Watts noticed his apartment in shambles and thought the cat messed it up. Then he realized it was the work of a burglar.

“You can’t take a cat and put it in the fridge,” Watts said with anger in his voice. “You don’t make something suffer like that.”

Murfreesboro Police Officer Dave Norton responded to the burglary.

“The perpetrator attempted to kill the complainant’s cat,” Norton reported. “The cat was found in the freezer.”

Burglars stole $150 cash, gold jewelry, a straight razor, business cards and two pairs of shoes, indicating the items taken were obviously important to Watts, the officer noted.

“A space heater was turned on high and laid on the carpet,” Norton reported. “The oven and all burners were turned on high. It appeared the perpetrator was attempting to burn down the apartment building.”

“The apartment was completely trashed,” Norton reported. “Family photographs were broken. A big screen TV also had a large hole in it.”

The burglar slashed a recliner and footstool with a sharp object and broke the bathroom sink. Damage was estimated at more than $1,100.

Police searched the neighborhood but were unable to locate any witnesses.

A suspect’s name was given to Detective Doug Arrington, who is investigating. People who have information about the burglar are asked to call Arrington at 893-2717 or Crime Stoppers at 893-STOP between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Watts, 23, works as a dishwasher for Marina’s restaurant in downtown Murfreesboro. The burglary destroyed much of his property, except his bed.

“It’s devastated me,” Watts said. “I don’t have a whole lot to begin with. … Everything I have is destroyed.”

The property was expensive but the photographs and other items carried sentimental value for Watts.

“It’s gone,” Watts said simply, vowing to “get a fresh start. I’ll just have to make it better.”