Animal cruelty can turn into human cruelty

Pictures of yet another stray cat killed in a horrific way have made the rounds online.

The graphic photos would make even hardened hearts cringe, let alone an animal lover like me.

And like most animal lovers, seeing the carcass of the helpless Ling Ling got my blood boiling.

It is not yet known how its body ended up being severed in two.

Vets at the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals said the death was "due to non-human factors" - the action of a dog or a pack of dogs.

But netizens are asking how a dog attack could result in a cat being cut cleanly in half.

Many are pointing to a human being behind the killing.

If that is the case, does this person take pleasure in killing defenceless animals?.

Even if this case is found to be unrelated to animal abuse, the issue of stray cats being abused or killed is not new.

Since 2011, there have been at least 50 cases of cat abuse in the Housing Board estate across the Golden Mile Complex at Beach Road.

Police reports were made, but to date no one has been arrested.

So it is likely that the abuser or abusers are still out there.

DO NOT DISMISS

Don't dismiss these acts of cruelty simply because they are perpetrated against stray animals.

Anyone who watches crime series like Criminal Minds would know that violent acts towards animals is considered a warning sign of potential violence towards humans.

Even real-life serial killers, such as the infamous Jeffrey Dahmer, expressed their violent tendencies towards animals first.

In his youth, Dahmer decapitated dogs, staked cats to trees and impaled the heads of frogs, cats and dogs on sticks.

He graduated to the rape, murder and dismemberment of 17 men and boys between 1978 and 1991, with many of his later murders involving necrophilia and cannibalism.

Of course, not every cat abuser will turn into a serial killer of humans, but do we want to take the chance?

Just for their cruelty towards animals, abusers should be punished to the fullest extent of the law.

The Bill to set new animal welfare standards for individuals and businesses here is still being debated in Parliament.

It is vital that the Bill is passed as it will mean harsher punishment for animal abusers, raising the penalties to fines of up to $30,000 and/or jail terms of up to three years.

Even real-life serial killers, such as the infamous Jeffrey Dahmer, expressed their violent tendencies towards animals first.

This article was first published on Oct 30, 2014.
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