SPANAWAY, Wash. -- Three cats are dead and a woman is under arrest, accused of poisoning them.

Police arrested a 42-year-old Pierce County resident for three counts of animal cruelty.

Joe Ashbaugh told KIRO 7 his neighbor began complaining about his family's cats getting into her yard about six months ago.

"She was upset obviously," said Joe Ashbaugh. "And I understood that, and that's why I tried to accommodate. I bought motion sensors that scare animals away."

Last Thursday, one of the cats came home so sick it had to be taken to the veterinarian. Ashbaugh said by the time he arrived home, a second cat was showing the same symptoms, throwing up and losing the ability to walk.

Within hours, all three cats had died. The veterinarian suspected antifreeze poisoning and Ashbaugh said he found a bowl full of chicken and antifreeze in his neighbor's yard. He called Pierce County sheriff's deputies and Pasado's Safe Haven.

In a statement, the suspect's attorney said she is "horrified" that the "three neighborhood cats may have entered her property and inadvertently consumed noxious material." She said she was attempting to "lawfully control pests within her fully fenced yard and intended no harm."

The maximum penalty for animal cruelty is 5 years in prison and a $10,000 fine. The suspect will appear in court June 1.