25-year-old Yu Zhen Chen from Logan was arrested earlier this week.
Philadelphia officers were reviewing surveillance tapes in a separate investigation when they found footage of the suspect allegedly abusing the animals.
After seeing the footage, the SPCA was alerted.
"The images caught on the tape were extremely disturbing. He was swinging the cats by their tails and throwing them around and other acts of cruelty," said George Bengal, head of the Pennsylvania SPCA's Humane Law Enforcement.
Officials were able to retrieve two of the kittens seen on tape. The animals are being cared for at SPCA headquarters.
Additional charges for Chen are pending following further investigation.
