DALLAS -- Dallas police say a 47-year-old woman has told detectives she shot and killed her husband because he was beating the family cat.

Authorities say Mary Harrison has been arrested and jailed on a murder charge for the slaying of her 49-year-old husband Dexter Harrison.  She's held on $100,000 bond.

Mary Harrison told authorities the shooting Saturday occurred during an argument. Dexter Harrison was taken to a hospital where he died. Dallas police, in a statement Sunday, say she told officers that he'd been beating the cat.

Neighbors say the family cat recently went missing, Mary Harrison had posted signs about it disappearing and the pet eventually returned.