[jogger08152]

Sure.

1. The cat might otherwise be useful, killing mice and such.
2. Cruelty to animals is one of three predictors for future serial killers (along with eneuresis and pyromania), and therefore crippling the guy may be +EV even if he weren't currently torturing a cat, but you knew he had done so before.
3. The guy likely is -EV (to society) in other ways even if he isn't a serial killer. I suspect that the level of cruelty you are describing rarely exists in a vacuum.