Last week's papers carried an item about a Bronx man who kicked, beat and torched a stray male cat. According to different eyewitness accounts, a man approached a stray cat who may or may not have scratched or bit him. The man then kicked the cat beating it until it was bloody then placed him on a blanket. After dousing the cat with lighter fluid the man set the edges of the blanket on fire. The cat was burned alive.
This new incident occurred only weeks after a Brooklyn man was arrested after approaching a friendly stray male cat, kicking it 20 feet into the air. The incident was caught on video and it went viral. The posting helped lead the police to the attacker. This incident had a good ending. A group effort was mounted by rescuers, the cat was located, medically checked and ultimately adopted by someone living in Manhattan.
The video was sickening to watch. The cat was called to the kicker who then pretends to have food. Suddenly, he viciously kicks King with all his might sending the poor cat flying through the air like a football.
All the while the kicker and others off-camera are laughing hysterically.
Why do such incidents keep happening? I believe we need stiffer penalties for crimes of this nature. Animals are alive, people! Just because they can't talk doesn't make their life inferior to ours. They experience pain and they can be defenseless against much bigger humans. It is particularly cruel to win an animal's trust then injure, torture or kill it.
New York needs to upgrade the status of animals to sentient beings as France did and rewrite our laws for crimes accordingly. Penalties for those harming or killing animals should be stiffer than laws for damaging property.
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| King enjoying life at the ASPCA prior to adoption. (courtesy ASPCA) |
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