Helen-Maree Noon faced Brisbane Supreme Court on Thursday for sentence after pleading guilty at the start of her trial on Monday to one count of attempted murder.
Noon, then 39, had been homeless in 2022 and at times slept on a swag at her then 50-year-old former partner's home at Grantham in the Lockyer Valley west of Brisbane, Justice Michael Copley heard.
She had a conversation with her ex-partner about their cat having trouble with its back legs on April 20 that year, crown prosecutor Stephanie Gallagher said.
"There was a suggestion the cat had been hit by a car. (Noon) said she felt sorry for the cat and wanted to put it out of its misery."
Noon took out a knife and slit the cat's throat before cutting its head off, Justice Copley heard.
"She skinned the cat with the victim. They each took the hind legs from the cat and put them in the freezer," Ms Gallagher said.
Two days later, the victim woke at 4am to find Noon standing above him in his bedroom holding a knife.
"He was not concerned as Noon usually carried a knife," Ms Gallagher said.
"She plunged the knife into the side of his throat. He grabbed her arm and pushed her away."
Noon said she was sorry and handed the victim his phone before leaving the house.
The man was able to call for help and evacuated by helicopter to a Brisbane hospital
Noon was arrested the next day and told investigators she had intended to rip out the victim's windpipe and sever his brain stem.
A psychiatrist had found Noon's judgment was impaired by mental health problems but not completely absent.
The facts of the case were difficult to deal with, defence barrister David Jones said.
"The facts are bizarre and they are violent. What Ms Noon saw and what she thought was not reality," he said.
"She was unwell and not medicated at the time."
Mr Jones said Noon was experiencing significant stress.
"She perceived the victim had done wrong by her. He allowed her to set up a swag under the house but the rent and board was to be paid in sexual favours," he said.
The case was bizarre, Justice Copley said.
"Killing the cat is one thing, effectively carving it up as if it might be needed for sustenance is very bizarre," he said.
Noon wrote a letter to Justice Copley saying she was sorry for the harm she had caused.
Noon was a potential threat to public safety but had also shown commitment to her medication and counselling, the judge said.
She was sentenced to nine years' imprisonment having already served three years and nine months in custody.
Noon was ordered to be eligible to apply for parole immediately.
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