I just don't understand...

Why people can be so cruel to animals. Especially cats. They give us this wonderful love and friendship, they don't care about looks, or money or anything superficial. And they ask for so little in return, someone to be gentle to them, food and water and the occasional treat, and a warm place to sleep. I see those Humane Society videos and it breaks my heart to think that people could do such things to those poor little cats. I mean I look at Diva and I have to give her a hug and kiss just for being so sweet.

Anyways, just a rant and now my rant is over

because people are just horrible not all of them though theres a few thousand on here that are lovely though

all we can do is help out animals the best we can whenever we can

I know how you feel. Whenever I hear about animal cruelty it just makes my blood boil. I don't know how people can possibly do such heinous things.

Some people don't feel any connection to animals or actually care about them. It's not that hard to understand that part. Intentionally going out of ones way to inflict harm, well a lot of people have various degrees of mental disorders.

I can't remember if it's the HSUS commercial of the ASPCA one. They show a cat sick with an URI and say he was found on the street. That part has me scratching my head a bit. How could that definitely be cruelty? It's possible the cat slipped outside and ran away - no one knows. And those of us who've cared for URI cats, they can look terrible. I suppose we're abusing them, too.
To get to the point. Both organizations twist things around to trick people into giving up money that never goes to actually help animals. HSUS president is one of those people that has never had a bond with any animal, btw. People taking millions of dollars from a charity that could actually do a lot of good if that money was used properly and putting it in their pension plans and bonuses is what I don't understand. Exploitation for greed is a different more subtle kind of cruelty, I suppose..

I know what you mean about the cruelty making your blood boil!
I have a regular fare that is also a private rescuer. She got a call from the dump down the road from her house a couple weeks ago and the guy said he had a newborn that he had found in a dumpster, no bigger than a hamster. The poor little thing still had its eyes shut and was barely breathing. Someone clearly meant for this little baby to suffer a horrible death. She took it in and is bottle feeding it, and the sweet little thing is thriving under her care. If she cannot find a great home for it when it is old enough, it will stay with her.
This is her third tiny baby in a month. Fortunately there are also people like her that clean up after someone else's horrific actions.

i know one reason is simply because they can, while with other people they can't always because other people may be stronger or put them at too much of a risk..
I don't know, there is too much cruelty in the world and I prefer to think that it isn't real, that it's just a movie or some other fiction...
It's easy to pretend this and not let it get to you, but when you see something in front of your eyes it just hits you so hard...Every time I see an animal die for whatever reason I get so traumatized. It's why I can never get on the crossing the bridge section, unless I see that someone who posts frequently and has helped me out by answering a question I had is suffering from loss of a loved one and in that case I just want to offer some support, but otherwise it's too much for me.

People can really suck. I hate the idea of people abusing people - but for whatever reason, the idea of people abusing animals is something I can't even think about unless there's something I can do about it. It's gotten to the point where I simply cannot read about it. We rescue, and we're politically active - I can get involved to DO something about it.

There's someone living near us that had a problem with mice, and put out poison. Forget the fact that it's illegal to bait with poison here... but we live in a really rural area with groundhogs, chipmunks, squirrels, raccoons, skunks, fox, deer, feral cats... and who knows what else. What was this person thinking? He has a little dog. His sister comes to visit frequently - he's a seemingly thoughtful, caring guy. What possesses people to simply close off their minds to what they're are doing? They see a problem and just act. Kittens? I'll throw them out. Mice? I'll poison the environment and maybe a lot of other animals. They look at - whatever - and see a problem, not a life. And those are people that aren't actively looking to torture an animal!

I worked for the Harrisburg Humane Society for a week back in 2008. I could not handle it and quit. It was heartbreaking to see the horrible way people treated animals. There was a female pit-bull that had her teeth yanked out so she could be used as a bait dog. There were kittens that were tied up in a bag and dumped on the side of the road. There was Shih-Tzu that was left tied up in the yard all day and somehow had suffered a broken jaw... Cats that were starved half to death and needed to be in IV drip so they would not die...

PLEASE STOP!

My hats off and my thanks to those who do handle it daily.

I wasn't cut out for that work either.

Both Spring and Sweetpea are rescue cats--our neighbour found Spring in a ditch in a duck taped box on a cold February morning. Aside from frostbite on the ear tips he had his tail somewhat torched---

I would have loved to do this to whatever bipedal object did this to the little one

Sweetpea was found by me in back of our driveshed --- cigarette burns and all---GROWL!!!

Both are such loving cats

The ones what do these things to these poor fellows are not human as far as I'm concerned

I honestly think that people that are cruel to animals will some day (if not already) commit some sort of cruelty toward humans. I don't even trust people that don't like animals.

People are just effing disgusting . My husband had a friend whose dad was a pastor, and one time when he was in the car with them, the dad was swerving to try to hit cats in the road, thinking it was just hilarious .

There's a stray in my complex who has half a tail, and it's because someone wrapped a wire hanger around it, causing half to die and fall off. The part that really breaks my heart is that the only reason they could get close enough to him to do that is that he's such a sweet and friendly cat (he was actually a pet who was dumped when people moved). And my mom's cat's leg was broken when she was outside (the vet said that the angle indicated that it was intentional). She was never the same after that.

I can understand if people don't particularly care for cats or dogs, but what kind of disgusting *%#*@# do you have to be to not at least care about, or even delight in, the suffering of another living thing? What kind of sociopathic bull*#%@ is that?

Ugh, now my blood pressure is up...

Originally Posted by Trouts mom

I honestly think that people that are cruel to animals will some day (if not already) commit some sort of cruelty toward humans. I don't even trust people that don't like animals.

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That's what my mom thinks- "There's just something wrong with people who don't like dogs or cats". If it was up to her, insurance would cover counseling for that 'condition' .

Originally Posted by ScottF

I worked for the Harrisburg Humane Society for a week back in 2008. I could not handle it and quit. It was heartbreaking to see the horrible way people treated animals. There was a female pit-bull that had her teeth yanked out so she could be used as a bait dog. There were kittens that were tied up in a bag and dumped on the side of the road. There was Shih-Tzu that was left tied up in the yard all day and somehow had suffered a broken jaw... Cats that were starved half to death and needed to be in IV drip so they would not die...

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Terrible memories, indeed. But bless all the people who can and do see the inhumanity and swallow their tears and do something about it. At the very least, we can all pray and/or send vibes for protection of the innocents and reformation of the perpetrators. What I find especially sad is that people who torment animals often are willing to torment the developmentally disabled I guess there is a reason for Hell

Originally Posted by Trouts mom

I honestly think that people that are cruel to animals will some day (if not already) commit some sort of cruelty toward humans. I don't even trust people that don't like animals.

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I'm not sure if this is true in general, although there are empirical studies that have linked animal abuse by children to aggression and anti-social behavior in adulthood. I agree with strange_wings that some people just don't relate to animals and can't empathize with the suffering of species not human. If you can't empathize with the pain and suffering of another species, you have no guilt in what you.

For my own part, as much as I love dogs and cats, I willingly kill ants and bugs and cockroaches when they cross my path. I feel no guilt as they are just "pests" to me. If all life has value, then why do I feel that the life of some creatures are more valuable than others? Why is it when a cat is abused and abandoned, it tugs at my heartstring, yet a neglected pet rat would not evoke even a wince from me?

There are some TCS members who have pet mice and rats. They love their rodent pets as much as I love my cat. Yet for me, I can not stomach rodents. They terrify me like nothing else. Their deaths from traps or poison does not evoke any emotion in me other than a flippant "good riddance."

I'm not trying to justify animal abuse, but as strange_wings eloquently phrased it...

Some people don't feel any connection to animals or actually care about them.

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Originally Posted by Cosabella

There are some TCS members who have pet mice and rats. They love their rodent pets as much as I love my cat. Yet for me, I can not stomach rodents. They terrify me like nothing else. Their deaths from traps or poison does not evoke any emotion in me other than a flippant "good riddance."

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I'm sorry you dislike them so much. Yes, wild ones I will kill because they can carry some very serious diseases that I don't want or want my cats to get. I wish I didn't have to, but there's no lack of wild populations and some, such as the brown rat, are introduced species and shouldn't be here to begin with.
Insects I can identify and know what should and shouldn't be put back outside. I feel sorry for the beneficial and harmless species that don't make passed the cats alive.

Probably the best way to compare how some people see cats as pest would be for those on here who hate snakes to consider how they feel about them.

I don't approve of killing or torturing anything. Those that do it, including even those that will kill snakes, do have something wrong with them.

It's just one of the MANY reasons that I prefer cats to most humans.

Those ASPCA commercials always make me cry and run out of the room looking for one of my kitties to hug! (who usually just look at me like I just lost my mind)

BOTH of my kitties were rescues. Moo especially was in a such an abusive environment that the vet forced the owner to surrender both him and his brother. Among the list of what that lady did to moo was malnourishment, and leaving him in a flea dip too long. He had 3 paws in the grave when he was signed over.

HE has lasting problems some neurological from the flea dip but mostly psyh. issues...he has MAJOR seperation anxitey and will meow constantly until I come home. He is a little better since I got Tilly but still after a certain time of night he wants his mom home. His brother also is psycholocially scarred from his previous owner. Its sad both cats are super love bugs so it baffles me how you can do that to another living creature.

Tilly was found under a porch...the vet said she was hit by a car at some point because of the way she walks and she doesn't jump really. Also it looks like the tip of her tail was broken at some point as well. She is terrified of the great outdoors...won't go near the front door and took her more then a year to sit in the windows.

It makes me REALLY REALLY REALLY angry as well that ANYONE could hurt these gentle creatures. All they really want is to be loved and in return Tilly eats everything that comes into the apartment...I swear she is the best bug zapper on the market!

But seriously I don't think that most people realize that abused animals have lasting effects mentally that go on for much longer then the physical effects. Then again...I also don't understand how people can abuse children as well. That is an issue I come across as a teacher and it makes my blood boil just as much as animal abuse.

I just don't understand how people can be so cruel. One of the women at work heard me saying I have a cat now and she said she hated cats and she shoots everyone that comes onto her property. And she is a nurse and she goes around shouting about thanking God. I am sorry but I am a christian and I believe firmly that even though God gave us domain over animals it didn't mean we were to be cruel to them and I don't believe you should kill animals unless its for food, or to protect yourself, family, or your own animals. And anyone who shoots cats just because will not rest when the lord comes.

I don't understand either.
The bad stories are a big reason why I keep my furry (ok, so one has fuzz) animals indoors and with a microchip, tattoos, and also collar and tags when off of my property. I want them to be safe and live long and happy lives, I don't want them teased or worse. All animals deserve happy homes, not sure why all don't get that. It is one of life's mysteries and a social problem.