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Richard Swangler, a Bristol resident who "has been living in West Hempfield Township for the past several months," is being held in lieu of a $15,000 bail, said the Lancaster County District Attorney's Office.
Authorities said Swangler reported a wild animal "which he believed to be a jaguar" was inside his home on the 100 block of W. Broad Street on March 3.
Officers arrived and saw bite marks on the 56-year-old's arms but found no wild animal, prosecutors said.
A search of the home eventually turned up a "small, black cat" with "severe facial injuries" including "a traumatic complete degloving of the lower chin/mandible," the DA's Office said.
The cat was taken to PETS Emergency Center for surgical care and is now being monitored by the Organization for Responsible Care of Animals (ORCA), officials said. It is expected to make a full recovery.
Swangler was arrested on outstanding probation violation warrants and an aggravated animal cruelty charge, the DA's Office said. Court records show he is in Lancaster County Prison awaiting his preliminary hearing on March 12.
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