SOUTH PORTLAND, Maine — A pair of teenage girls were charged with cruelty to animals Monday after a video of them allegedly putting a cat in a microwave surfaced on Twitter, police said.

The names of the teenagers, both 15, are not being disclosed due to the fact that they are juveniles, according to South Portland police Lt. Frank Clark.





South Portland police had fielded multiple calls on Friday that a video that appeared on Twitter showed the girls putting a cat in a microwave, according to Clark.

The lieutenant did not disclose whether the girls had started the kitchen appliance with the cat inside it.

The girls, both students at South Portland High School, were identified and charged Monday after an investigation resulting from the reports, Clark said.

The cat involved is showing no ill effects, Clark said, but its owners have agreed to turn the feline over to the city’s animal control officer, who will seek a veterinary evaluation for the cat.

The case remains under investigation and has been forwarded to the Cumberland County district attorney’s office for review, the lieutenant said.