If you knew someone was abusing their cat or dog would you call the police?

So true, they did have an option to have that pet or not, so if they weren't really willing to be responsible for it, then why have him/her in the first place? I do agree when you said that if they can't treat their pets nice then they could treat people that way too. I for one would also call the police.

This is true. Report all kinds of abuse! If you really think about it, if someone is capable of abusing an animal, why couldn't they abuse a human too? All forms of abuse are wrong. Treat others as you wish to be treated...including our animal friends!!!!!

Please don't wait. Ring the animal protection people and speak to them about what you have seen and your fears. Give them the facts only and they will tell you what to do . If you wait, it might be that much longer that the poor animal suffers....just ring them and have a chat. Please.

If I see someone beating an animal with a stick or something else I will surely go and ask him why as I don't like when someone beat an animal. It is better not to have a pet if you think you will not be able to endure the pet's actions. I agree that there are some circumstances when the animal may deserve something bad for example it has been chewing the new shoes you have just bought. But if someone is beating constantly the animal then I will surely intervene even if it is none of my bussiness to interfere in the life of the person, I can interfere to save the life of a pet.

All decent people hate cruelty, or harmful neglect, of any kind. And certainly, when humans are abusive to a creature that cannot defend itself, or even trusts people, the whole thing seems much worse. However, situations aren't always as simple as they seem. I know several people who rescue sick and injured animals ( dogs, cats, rabbits, horses, hedgehogs - even chickens.) When these animals arrive they are sometimes in a terrible state, and need long months of nursing and feeding up before they are well again. In the meantime, people who saw these animals could well think they were being ill-treated, and charge off to report things to the authorities who, unless they already knew the full story, would waste everyone's time making needless visits. Someone cutting off a cat's paws ( yeuk!) is clearly cruel and is also ( or should be!) criminal. But leaving an animal outside in bad weather...? Well, that would all depend on the circumstances. Maybe the animal just escaped? Maybe it actually likes being outside in the rain? My dogs love snow. Animals are not the same as us. I think it is always better to check out the situation fully before taking any action. By all means rescue the animal from immediate danger, if any. Feed it if it seems hungry. But then seek out the owner/carer and see how the land really lies. And if the owner seems to be having difficulties, why not offer to help? I would only say call in the authorities as a last resort, or if there is a real dangerous emergency to be dealt with.

Thanks for that tip. Had not thought about animal rescue. They do a really good job. In the other place where we lived, someone called Animal Rescue about some sick kittens (that had been abandoned my their cat mom outdoors) and they came out and took the babies in for medical care. I thought that was nice.

That's a very admirable thing to do. So many people overlook animal welfare cause they think of them as nothing more than animals. But animals depend on humans for good care. And when the humans let them down, it's nice that someone else would stand in. We domesticated them and made them depend on us, we owe them that, even if we don't own them. Thanks for your comments.