The parents of a pre-teen child who abused a four-week-old kitten should be investigated

Two useful tags. Click either to see the articles: Toxic to cats | Dangers to cats

I believe that parents should be held to account if, as is alleged in this story, they have created an environment within the home which drives a pre-teen child to cruelly abuse a kitten.

In this instance, the police are investigating the alleged abuse of a four-week-old kitten by a child in Ypsilanti, Michigan, USA.

Is the first time that I have read about a pre-teen child abusing a cat or kitten and I have read thousands of articles. Witnesses reported seeing the pre-teen twice kick the four-week-old kitten, now named Beasley, toss him in the air several times while allowing him to fall onto concrete before throwing water over him.

An Eastern Michigan University police officer took him to the Humane Society of Huron Valley bleeding from the mouth. A spokesperson there said that he was terrified when he arrived. He is calm down, purring, playing and gaining weight. His in foster care and being treated for his injuries.

He will be available for adoption once he’s recovered. The CEO of the Humane Society of Huron Valley said:

“Studies show this is a possible indication of problems in the home, where the child is the witness or victim of abuse himself, and a predictor of future violent behaviour. We will be working with the prosecutor’s office to ensure intervention is provided.”

Tanya Hilgendorf, HSHV’s President and CEO

Comment: it is extremely sad when a child has been damaged like this to the extent that he wants to be cruel towards a vulnerable animal. This child is going to live a very difficult life in my opinion unless something dramatic happens to resolve his mental health issues. The blame is likely to be with the parents. They should be investigated. Social services should be around asking questions. That may seem like an extreme reaction but it appears that the child needs protecting if these allegations are true and in doing so animals might be protected as well.

Source: Ann Arbor of mlive.com.