This is not exactly hot of the press cat news but it is a reminder that sections of law enforcement in the USA realise the connection between animal abuse and other major crimes and therefore it makes sense to classify animal abuse as a top-tier felony and track down and prosecute animal abusers as it may well stop further crimes. This is partly about taking proactive crime prevention steps.
In October of 2014 the FBI stated that they will treat animal abuse as a crime against society and classify it as a Group A felony. This puts it on a par with arson and murder for instance. Animal abuse is often seen as a minor crime but it the sort of crime which sheds light on people who have criminal minds and therefore enforcing animal cruelty laws not only helps to protect animals but in prosecuting these criminals information is collected about them.
Elisa has often reminded us of the connection between animal abuse and serious crimes against the person. The cannibal Jeffrey Dahmer is a good example. He decapitated stray animals as a child. If these crimes had been noted and if he had been charged and prosecuted it could have prevented him progressing to becoming a serial killer.
It was reported in Elite Daily that the FBI will begin collecting information about animal abuse in 2016. This gives them time to restructure their systems et cetera.
P.S. Animal abuse takes many forms. The FBI appear to be concerned with individuals but big business is also involved in animal abuse and abusing animals is not always a crime – what about sport hunting of mountain lions?
Did the Admin, Michael Broad, FINALLY ban Ralph? Hope, hope? How do we know that this guy is not mistreating animals himself…
Ralph you sound exactly like what the FBI is looking for, a psychopath. You should really look into getting some psychological help. Seriously.
Spot on Melissa. In an ironic way his presence on this page in his comments is quite apt. A living example of the sort of specimen the FBI will be tracking down 😉
From what I understand, the changes are only in the way in which the FBI collects and categorises data.
Previously animal abuse was simply included in an “other” category. As from 2015 it will have it’s own category, “Animal Cruelty Offense” and will include four separate types of abuse: simple/gross neglect, intentional abuse and torture, organised abuse (dog fighting and cock fighting), and animal sexual abuse.
Whilst it’s true the FBI want better tracking of animal cruelty because they acknowledge it’s often an indicator of violent crime, it does not mean those who abuse animals will get harsher sentences.
It may not be quite the change we’d hoped for, but it is a positive move in the right direction towards animal welfare.
Tna? Ralph don’t falsely accuse me . i love all animals and have rescued cats. i have never heard of tna. i am against any and all abuse of any animal. so the next time…at least know what your talking about before writing such a stupid comment.
Alexe “stupid” is Ralph’s middle name, apparently. It’s his way of life. He can’t stop.
Uh oh. You swallowed con-artist Elisa’s manipulative lies and deceptions again. It’s so easy for them to manipulate you with their lies, isn’t it. You so want to believe their lies.
http : / / johnsibley . com / 2015 / 05 / 20 / the-myth-of-the-fbi-and-animal-cruelty /
Now explain why people who like cats are the first to make death-threats against any and all humans — that IS a felony offense. I’ve archived quite a few of those from your own website’s members to send to authorities. In fact, one of them that you support (of many) who is posting above, is now on that list for recently making death-threats against humans. 🙂 I find it interesting that you will delete and ban people who tell you the truth, but you allow, support, and retain postings of death-threats against humans. I shall see if there are any laws in the UK that can be used to drag you into jail for a long long time.
Now you might want to also consider that abandoning a cat outdoors to fend for itself is considered animal-cruelty in every state of the USA. This is why TNR is illegal everywhere except for where they have created temporary variances to the law to allow it — experimentally (while still being in violation of all health-codes and all state and federal environmental laws). Every last TNR promoter and practitioner will now be on FBI’s tracking lists. That should help.
Ralph, you are a pain in the backside troll and you are not wanted here. No more comments or I’ll ban you.
Ralph,
Your stuff is crap, it makes no sense. TNR is the kindest and best way to help abandoned cats which are many. Yes, you are right cat and dog people should never make threats against animal abusers. You know there is karma.
Alley cat allies puts all their money into humane education. Hey, and I can tell you Becky Robinson has a very modest home and is making a positive difference. I bet you don’t like our president too
Thanks for supporting TNR. All of us who understand TNR know that it is the best way to control feral cat populations.
I had to read Ralph’s letter 4x to make sure I was not misreading it! Did I really read that he thinks Vaccinating, Trap.(T) Neuter.(N) RELEASE (R) again right back into the spot they were in – for UNPAID VOLUNTEERS to feed and CARE FOR DAILY is CRUEL???? HUUUHH???? Has this man ever seen what happens to a huge percentage of cats who will fight, sometimes to the death for territory so THAT WINNING TOM can BREED MORE FEMALES and a bajillion more kittens — who will starve, pick up horrible diseases or get hit in the road and drag themselves off somewhere to die from their injuries, weather exposure and/or starve??? Anyone who thinks Becky of Alley Cat Allies is an animal abuser must be WAY MISINFORMED! She helped us get set up to care for cats and mailed us leaflets and pamphlets for FREE to hand out to all of our neighbors trying to educate them about what we were doing! I have practiced TNR (Trap,Neuter.Release into a colony) for almost 25 years here and I can ASSURE you that feral cats who are taken care of and “fixed” so they cannot reproduce again are WAAAAY happier than the Tomcats who fight each other or the females who are forced by aggressive Tomcats to breed 4x a year and have 3 to 6 kittens PER LITTER when the poor mother cat can barely even feed herself! She will ABANDON her kittens as early as 7 weeks if the pressure to breed is great enough on her by the local Tomcat!! Guess what happens to those kittens who are abandoned? They wander into the road and get hit, get executed by the roaming tomcats or STARVE and/or die of DISEASE! Ever see a starving cat dying of the feline version of something close to our HIV or even distemper? IT’S HORRIFIC I can assure you! Talk about SUFFERING??? I heartily suggest that you educate yourself on the BLESSINGS of TNR before you talk trash about it because you, sir, have NO IDEA WHATSOEVER of what you are talking about! NONE. THANK GOD for those who volunteer up to 80 and 90 hours a week UNPAID, out in the field in EVERY nasty weather situation there is because not one of their “Colony cats” will be allowed to go hungry even in a snowstorm! THANK GOD for people who care enough to care for these kitties who would be on their own otherwise!
Hi Jul, I am yet to read Ralph’s comment but I am sure he is a troll who deliberately wishes to provoke annoyance amongst decent people who support TNR which is the only way of humanely controlling feral cat populations. Thanks Jul for taking the time to argue the case.
Ralph is a cat hating TROLL. I read his comment and replied to him. I am a TNR’d colony caregiver. It works! I did the TNR myself, yes they fought before they were all done, but now they just hang out together and sometimes they even snuggle together in the little warming boxes I supply for them in the cool winters we have here in AZ.
Yes, thank you for agreeing with me that Ralph is a cat hating troll which he absolutely is. And thank you for helping feral and stray cats. I consider you to be a special person.
Some member of the TNR Cult said, “I have practiced TNR (Trap,Neuter.Release into a colony) for almost 25 years here …”
I love collecting these anecdotes that prove that TNR never reduces cat populations anywhere — ever. Thanks!
Oh, and since you claim that TNR’ed cats don’t fight for territory, there goes that other lie of Becky’s that cat’s will keep other stray cats away by fighting for territory.
Thanks for proving all I say, again. 🙂
I find it amazing how you can type this stuff without realizing the blatant contradictions in your own mind and even from your own experiences. I’m surprised the lobes of your mind haven’t throttled each-other to death — well, they would, if they were actually communicating with each other.
I worry for and pity cat-fanatics who also believe in karma (i.e. reap what you sow) while they let their TNR cats roam free to die hundreds of inhumane ways while being forced to fight each other for their very survival. You know, just as defined in all those laws written to prevent you fools from killing your own animals from animal-neglect, animal-endangerment, and animal-abandonment. Laws written to save your own animals from the torture inflicted on them by the very people who falsely claim to “love” them.
But here’s why you really need to worry if you believe in Karma: Maybe you’ll be skinned-alive or gutted-alive someday, then left to writhe and scream with your own skin pulled-up over your head. EXACTLY what you allow your vermin cats to do to our native animals, wasted just for YOUR cats’ play-toys. Then you could hope your screams can draw the attention of someone with the strength-of-heart to put you out of your misery. Like I had to do to all the thousands of animals on my lands that you cat-fanatics tortured to death with your vermin cats. Those innocent and defenseless animals and their offspring screeching in torment in my woods calling my attention. I then being forced to stomp those poor suffering animals to death with my own boot to hush their agony caused by your piece-of-shîť cat that just ran off from its “toy”. Have you ever felt and heard the sound of a small animal’s skull pop beneath your own foot to hush it from screeching and writhing after a cat-attack? You worthless and amoral cat-fanatics need to experience that — EVERY DAY FOR YEARS. Just like had to do every day for TWO DECADES. Maybe then you’d “get it”. Maybe then you’d finally KNOW the senseless torture of all animals, INCLUDING the torture of your own cats, that you bring upon this planet and all life on it. Why you waste-of-flesh cat-fanatics were ever born in the very first place is a complete mystery to me. My woods and driveways used to be lined with the senseless carnage of writhing and screeching “cats’ toys” nearly every morning and afternoon. Maybe it’s your turn for that. No, not maybe — yes, it IS your turn for that.
May the cat-fantatics who believe in karma hope like heŀŀ that I’m not the one to hear their screams for help after something has karmically gutted them alive or skinned them alive just like they let all their cats torture other animals to death for their cats’ play-toys. I’d just leave them there to thoroughly learn their much-deserved lesson at long-last, not even risk dirtying my boots with their unused gray-matter.
I’d just keep on walking — to a far far better day.
If you want to stop the senseless torture and cruel deaths of thousands of defenseless and innocent animals and all their offspring, you must begin with destroying any one stray invasive-species disease-infested vermin cat — no matter how you have to accomplish that. THAT is the true suffering-animal equation.
You have NOBODY BUT YOURSELVES to blame for this one!
This is not about cats. but dogs. fighting dogs. i wish this was a life sentence for people who do this.
It is so sickening .
But I bet that you support TNR, where they use the major selling point that cats will fight with other cats for their very survival to keep other cats away. Absolutely no different than someone who bets on fighting dogs to see which one survives.
Then there are all the sub-human veterinarians and “humane” societies who support TNR, just betting on someone to bring in the next almost-dead road-kill cat or loser in a TNR territorial battle, or parading the photo of torn-in-half cat in the media for donations, so they can ALL line their pockets with cash from almost-dead and suffering TNR cats.
There’s lots of money to be made by betting on which TNR cats win in fighting each other for their very survival. Check out Becky Robinson of Alley Cat Allies bank-account statements. She cons people out of over 7 million dollars every year with over 6 million in assets by betting on suffering cats that she can convince others to let die in the streets from cat-fights.
And you worry about the occasional dog-fight rings? You have people promoting cat-fight rings all around you (including the host of this very website). Some making millions of dollars every year — yet that doesn’t bother you.
There’s a very good reason that TNR supporters will be tracked by the FBI under this change.
TNR cats do not fight. I take care of a cat colony and all of the cats in it have been TNR’d. Before they were done, they fought between themselves over food and when the females were in heat. Now they never fight as there is regular food and they have no drive to mate and reproduce. TNR works to keep overpopulation of stray cats down, but it also helps to keep rodent population down. It is not animal abuse as the caregivers of the colonies keep a close eye on the cats overall well being. Sorry Ralph, but you are wrong about this subject. Alley Cat Allies helps the cats, it doesn’t bet against them.
Thanks Gretchen for your input. The person who wrote the comment (Ralph) is a troll and a nasty person who simply wishes to provoke and he has highly biased views about feral cats and cats in general. He is somewhat psychotic and can only be described as unpleasant. Thank you for trying to put him straight.
Thanks Alexe. Do you mean that the FBI are only interested in fighting dogs as a form of animal abuse? That sounds odd.
I will not argue any further with you. if you can read…you will know what i said. I did not know cats were even used. this is sick. ANY animal that it harmed for any reason…fighting…serial killers in the making…any kind of abuse…is sick.
Does this make you UNDERSTAND. ???
What I find incredible is that numerous layman online post that animal abuse has absolutely nothing to do with serial killers. The overwhelming evidence is that they start small (animals) and work their way up.
There’s money in sport hunting. That’s why they don’t consider that a crime. It’s more “socially acceptable.” And I am reminded of stories I’ve seen online about people on snowmobiles who love to run down coyotes. That’s supposed to be such great fun and in certain circles that’s also socially acceptable. It’s not.
I sense that animal abuse if far more common than we believe it is because most of it is unreported and people don’t know about it. Animals are very vulnerable in this human world. It is good that the FBI are interested but I don’t know whether their interest will make a significant impact. I hope it does.
I agree. I think it is far more common, Michael. And I think it’s under-reported because a lot of people just don’t care, whether it’s a dog, cat or whatever. If I object to the abuse I’ve seen I’ve been told “Well, it’s just a dog. Why do you care?” Or “It’s just a cat.” You’re right, animals are very vulnerable in this world.