"I hope there's something I can do in this lifetime that will make them see that I'm a person that loves animals," says Joseph Petcka.

Petcka has something to say to America.  He wants people to see him as more than a mean cat killer.

"People looking at this case think, self-defense against a seven-pound cat...how on earth could this be?" INSIDE EDITION's Megan Alexander asks Petcka.

A New York City jury deadlocked on Friday, bringing a frustrating end to Petcka's trial for killing his ex-girlfriend's cat.  He admitted to hitting and kicking Norman the cat, but said the animal lashed out first, providing a photo of his cut finger as evidence.

Now the handsome actor, who's appeared on Sex and the City, could face a retrial. But first he and his lawyer Charles Hochbaum spoke to INSIDE EDITION.

"People looking at this case think, self-defense against a seven-pound cat...how on earth could this be?" INSIDE EDITION's Megan Alexander asks Petcka.

"We never said that he acted in self-defense.  We never said that he didn't cause the injuries.  It was really a question of what was in his mind and what was in his heart.  [It was] never his intent to put the cat through suffering," says Hochbaum, continuing, "There's no doubt that reaction was bad, the question was intent."

Petcka told INSIDE EDITION he understands how people shake their heads when they think of a 6-foot-2 former baseball player going up against a seven-pound cat.

Norman suffered broken ribs and fractured teeth before curling into a little ball and dying.
 
With Petcka facing up to two years in jail, the hung jury voted 11 to 1 to convict.  

"There was one man who held out, he felt very strongly that Joseph Petcka was not guilty," one jury member told INSIDE EDITION.

"You were this close to a conviction...do you feel you dodged a bullet?" asks Megan Alexander.
"Yes.  A lot of respect goes to the gentleman that had that kind of strength," says Petcka of the juror who held out for acquittal.

As he returns to waiting tables in between acting jobs, Petcka continues to receive hate mail from angry animal lovers across the country.  "I can understand how people care for animals and I'm sorry," says Petcka.

Prosecutors say although it may be difficult, they are considering a retrial.