SAN ANTONIO -- A 19-year-old man was being held Monday in the Bexar County Jail after he was charged with the mutilation and killing of three cats.

Austin Patterson was arrested Sunday in Live Oak and was charged with three counts of torture and killing an animal.

Universal City police said that the cats were found lying on plywood with their heads crushed and their feet bound with duct tape.

"Very gruesome, a lot of blood," said Lt. Bill Gabbard of the Universal City Police Department. "You just can't fathom, can't understand why someone would take out hate and aggression on an animal."

All three cats had been dismembered and one was disemboweled, Gabbard said.

Several cutting instruments were found on the ground, including a hammer and nails, Gabbard said.

Police said Patterson had adopted one of the cats that he tortured and killed.

Authorities said documents they found in Patterson's backpack at the scene detailed the adoption of a 3-year-old cat called Taylor.

Universal City police Lt. Bill Gabbard said he can't understand why anyone would commit such an act of violence.

Police said they were questioning another man on Monday who was with Patterson at the time of the cat killings.

Officers said Monday that they don't consider him a suspect.

Police are looking into the possibility that the cats were used for satanic rituals, Gabbard said.

Patterson was jailed in lieu of $61,000 bond.