A US man arrested in June for beating his girlfriend and abusing his pets is facing fresh charges after tests showed he had been "forcibly feeding" methamphetamine to his cat.

Aaron Spaulding, from Las Cruces in New Mexico, was originally charged after police investigated an allegation of domestic violence.

Spaulding, 39, allegedly punched his girlfriend, held her against her will and took away her cellphone, Las Cruces Police said on Facebook.

While investigating these claims, police heard allegations Spaulding was abusing his two pets, a dog and a cat, allegedly strangling the feline and force-feeding methamphetamine to it.


Tests later showed the presence of methamphetamine and Spaulding's charges were upgraded to include felony animal cruelty.

The cat showed signs of neurological deficits and was treated by a local vet before being adopted into a caring home.

The case is the latest in a series of cases involving US animals ingesting methamphetamine.

Last month, police in Loretto, Tennessee, warned citizens not to flush their drugs down the toilet, telling criminals that the act could create "meth-gators".

The previous month, Alabama police said a man kept a caged "attack squirrel" in his apartment and fed it methamphetamine to make it more aggressive.

The squirrel, named "Deeznutz", couldn't be tested for meth and was released. The owner denied the allegations.

Australasia is not immune to the trend, with a 2017 case in Australia leading to a python needing six weeks of detox after it was rescued from a meth lab in New South Wales.