SEATTLE -- A man has been arrested after he admitted he gutted a cat that belongs to a South Seattle church, according to the King County Sheriff's Office.

Deputies said Tracy Clark attacked Scat, the resident pet of the Cross Church & Discipleship Center, with a razor blade on Monday. Clark told a witness he "gutted the cat" after the cat attacked him, detectives said.

Scat, who has been the pet therapy cat at the church at 1320 102nd Street Southwest for the past eight to 10 years, was found in the parking lot with several stab wounds, including a 7-inch gash on its side, according to the statement of probable cause. The feline also had three broken ribs and severe internal injuries.

The deputy who responded to the scene said he could hardly stand the sight of the tortured cat. Scat is in the intensive care unit at South Seattle Veterinary Hospital. Employee Lisa McCollough-Dutt said Scat was brought in in unbelievably poor shape.

"It makes me want to cry. Sheer horror...it's actually devastating to see a cat or anything brutally attacked," she said. "If they can do this to an animal, it makes you wonder what they can do to a human."

Clark, 47, said he had enrolled in rehabilitation at the church, which offers a full-time residential discipleship program for distressed men.

Clark has been booked into the King County Jail under investigation of first-degree animal cruelty. Clark had an outstanding warrant for felony contempt, the statement said. A conviction for a felony animal abuse charge carries up to five years in prison.

Church members said when Scat first came to the church, he was very leery of people. But over time, he became more socialized and eventually grew into a lovable therapy cat.

Pasado's Safe Haven, a local non-profit animal rescue organization, has offered to cover all of Scat's medical expenses.