BOSTON -- The beating death of a cat in front of shocked children prompted protests Sunday in Worcester.

A group of people gathered in front of the city police department, demanding police put Tom Foley behind bars.

Foley admittedly beat a cat named Lily to death in front of several children on Friday.

The owner, Lisa Tuttle, said her cat Lily had just given birth to a litter of kittens and may have been feeling territorial when she charged Foley's dog and scratched Foley several days earlier on Dupuis Avenue.

"I just came out. I saw the cat in a pool of blood, my daughter screaming," neighbor Lisa Tuttle said. Witnesses said at least one adult and four horrified children saw Foley beat the cat to death with a stick.

"I think it's an awful crime that he did it in front of kids. I think it shows his lack of humanity. I think that these kids are going to be traumatized," protest organizer Jaqueline Corliss said.

Foley, of Stoneham Road in Worcester, claimed he was defending himself from the seven-pound cat.

He has not been charged.

The College of Holy Cross put Foley on paid leave from his job as a public safety officer.

The Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals law enforcement department is actively investigating the incident and asked any witnesses to any animal cruelty to contact them directly at: 617-522-6008 or 800-628-5808.

Animal cruelty is a felony in Massachusetts punishable by a fine up to $2,500 and up to five years in prison.