A previous column dealt with the tragedy of hoarding and the neglected animals caught in that sad situation. Unfortunately, this is not the only form of abuse we come across during our work within the County.

Animal cruelty in itself is something that I cannot even fathom; my mind does not go that route. I find it disturbing to hear of people living amongst us who would hurt a living, breathing, and innocent creature just for sport.

Even worse, it is often children doing the abusing. Studies have been done proving that these juveniles often end up as partner abusers and serial killers.

Dealing with the ferals in our community our volunteers run across sad cases much too often. Obviously abused animals show up at our feeding stations, tiny kittens found all by themselves in a park, whole litters dumped in the trash like so much garbage, and last summer three kittens were rescued off a conveyer belt on their way up to be crushed at the recycling center in Santa Maria.

Then there was the box full of kittens left in the middle of a busy intersection to be run over. And another container with kittens inside left in a dry river bed right before the rains came. Remember that story in the newspaper about the man caught stomping on kittens in Orcutt?

One of our volunteers observed a woman kicking a kitten down some stairs. The momma cat was lying dead in the yard, and the woman said she didn’t want the kitten which, of course, our volunteer took.

Some of these kittens died; some of them were rescued. None of them deserved to be treated that way.

Let’s not forget declawing or the withholding of veterinary care. I would like to stress that allowing an animal to breed over and over again is another form of cruelty, especially when the resultant offspring are not even wanted. Please spay and neuter your pets.

At this time the punishment for cruelty to animals is hardly that. Penal Code #597 mandates a fine up to $20,000 and/or one year in jail, but is rarely enforced. Usually a slap is all that is handed out. It’s time we cracked down and demanded justice for those who cannot speak.

Save a life, do not destroy one. I am glad I have a voice to plead for the animals.