A youth in southwestern Ontario has been charged with animal cruelty in what the SPCA describes as the "brutal" death of a six-week old kitten.

The Ontario SPCA says it received an initial report of animal cruelty on Oct. 30 and launched an immediate investigation.

Officials say police were contacted and the SPCA announced on Friday that a charge of animal cruelty has been laid against a young person from Oxford County, east of London, Ont.

The suspect cannot be identified under the Youth Criminal Justice Act and investigators refused to release the suspect's age or sex, or information about where in Oxford County the incident took place.

The SPCA in a release refers to the act as a "brutal killing," but a spokesperson on Friday refused to given any details on the circumstances surrounding the kitten's death.

The suspect is scheduled to appear in court at a later date.