A US man found wearing women's underwear and standing over a goat's carcass told West Virginia police he was high on bath salts.

Mark L Thompson of Alum Creek was arrested at his home on Monday. A criminal complaint in Kanawha County Magistrate Court charges the 19-year-old with cruelty to animals.

Sheriff's Deputy JS Shackelford says witnesses reported Mr Thompson standing near a neighbour's pygmy goat in a bedroom. He was wearing a bra and female underwear. The goat had at least one stab wound.

Corporal Sean Snuffer says Mr Thompson indicated he had been high and "wasn't in his right mind".

Mr Thompson was held on $50,000 bond yesterday at the South Central Regional Jail. Jail records didn't indicate whether he had a lawyer and no listed phone number was available.