Pictured: Man accused of throwing his girlfriend's beloved cat Chau Chau to its death off the balcony of their 45th floor high rise Melbourne apartment Cheng Lu appeared at Melbourne Magistrates Court on Monday He allegedly threw girlfriend Kaiqi Chen's cat off a 45th-floor balcony in 2018 Ms Chen told the court she witnessed him throw her beloved pet like a rugby ball She rushed downstairs to find the cat dead on the pavement, the court heard Lu pleaded not guilty to animal cruelty and reckless endangerment By Australian Associated Press Published: 06:17 BST, 1 April 2019 | Updated: 06:17 BST, 1 April 2019 Viewcomments A young woman screamed when she saw her boyfriend throw her cat Chau Chau off the balcony of their 45th floor Melbourne apartment, a court has been told. University commerce student Kaiqi Chen says she saw her cat 'in the air' before rushing down to find one-year-old Chau Chau dead on the pavement of Elizabeth Street. Her boyfriend Cheng Lu has pleaded not guilty to animal cruelty and reckless endangerment over the incident in April 2018 and is facing a contest hearing in Melbourne Magistrates Court on Monday. Cheng Lu was seen leaving the Melbourne Magistrates Court on Monday. He is accused of killing his girlfriend's cat Chau Chau by throwing it off a 45th-floor balcony last April Ms Chen said she stepped out of the shower and was not wearing her contact lenses but she saw Lu toss her beloved pet out the balcony door, saying he 'must have used too much force'. 'I saw the cat being thrown out,' she told the hearing. 'When I saw the cat, the cat was in the air.' In the witness stand, Ms Chen demonstrated the throwing action allegedly used by Lu, which looked akin to someone throwing a rugby ball. Ms Chen said she 'screamed out' when she saw the cat 'fall' and quickly got dressed and rushed down to the street. 'I saw the cat. The cat was dead. In the middle of the pavement,' she said. Lu has pleaded not guilty to animal cruelty and reckless endangerment and is facing a contest hearing Lu did not immediately come down to the street but she spoke with him on the phone, she added. 'Lu Cheng kept saying "I'm sorry, I'm sorry" on the phone,' Ms Chen said. Earlier that night she had been holding Chau Chau when Lu had teased her, she told the court. 'He said my face is fat,' she said, adding that she then had a shower. Lu allegedly threw the cat from inside the apartment and over the glass balcony balustrade, which Ms Chen said was a little over waist height. Chinese interpreters were used throughout the court hearing, which continues before magistrate Constantinos Kilias. During the hearing, the man's girlfriend demonstrated the throwing action used by Lu, which looked akin to someone throwing a rugby ball Share or comment on this article: All rights reserved for this news site dailymail and under his responsibility