URBANA — A Champaign County judge has sentenced a central Illinois man to six months in jail and probation for torturing his girlfriend’s cat, which later died.

The (Champaign) News-Gazette reports 24-year-old Nathan Sitter of Savoy said in court Wednesday that he is ashamed of his actions and is “very remorseful.” Sitter says he “was not well.”

Sitter pleaded guilty in March to one count of animal torture. He admitted that in December he repeatedly dunked the cat, named Mocha, under cold water and struck it with a closed fist.

Prosecutors say Sitter’s girlfriend took the cat to a veterinarian, who documented numerous injuries before the animal died several hours later.

Prosecutors asked for a four-year prison term, saying Sitter left the cat to suffer. Sitter’s public defender argued he has been in counseling and had depression.