Rishawn Morrison has spent 46 days in prison since his arrest on charges that he first threw rocks at a cat and then set the kitty on fire.

The 19-year-old Upper Chichester teen was in court yesterday, where he admitted his role in the gruesome death of Cuddles, a 6-week-old tabby.

Morrison entered an open guilty plea to cruelty to animals, which is a first-degree misdemeanor.

The judge in the case was Judge James Nilon Jr., an admitted animal lover.

The sentence for Morrison might raise a few eyebrows, but it really shouldn’t. It’s a misdemeanor offense. Morrison has been in jail for 46 days.

Nilon sentenced him to six to 23 months, and will allow Morrison to serve out the remainder of his sentence on electronic home monitoring.

He also has been sentenced to two years probation and 64 hours of community service.

No doubt there will howls of protest concerning the sentence.

There really shouldn’t be.

Nilon offered a stern warning to Morrison, calling his behavior shocking and disgusting.

“You better not look at a dog or cat crookedly,” Nilon told the teen.

Cuddles has used up one of his nine lives. So has Morrison, in a way. We hope he’s smart enough to take Judge Nilon’s advice and leaves that life behind.