After deputies say they found a man and woman in possession of heroin and a cat with its paws bound with electrical tape in Canyon Country, the couple has plead no contest on Wednesday to drug possession and animal abuse charges.

Tyler Scott Vest, 23, of Valencia, and Kylie Stringer, 26, of Canyon Country, each face one misdemeanor count of cruelty to an animal, said Ricardo Santiago, spokesman for the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.

Vest also faces the charge of one felony count of possession for sale of a controlled substance, heroin, said Santiago. In addition, he also faces an allegation that he was convicted in 2012 of one misdemeanor count of grand theft from a person.

Stringer faces one misdemeanor count of possessing a controlled substance, heroin, as well.

The two are scheduled to appear in court for sentencing on Jan. 27.

Vest and Stringer were arrested late Saturday night and booked early Sunday morning after two Santa Clarita Sheriff’s deputies noticed their car behind a closed business, said Shirley Miller, public information officer for the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station.

As the deputies searched the vehicle, they found a cat trapped upside-down in a cat carrier, along with narcotics.

As they removed the cat, they were shocked to see that the cat’s paws were each individually taped with electrical tape and both of the cat’s front and rear legs were bound together.

The cat could not move and was “meowing loudly in discomfort,” according to a Facebook post made by the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station. After the deputies worked to free her, Animal Control Officers came and took the cat.

The rescued cat, named “Lily” is “doing great,” according to a recent tweet by the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station.