Abuse worthy of discussion

A child walks towards an animal, and I worry what will happen next.

From experience, I know that the pairing of a young person and an animal can have a frightening result, and like most other people I have seen animals bite and scratch children. Just as often, I have seen children hurt animals, which bothers me as someone who appreciates animals. Both cases can be avoided, if only parents talk to their children.

This topic has played heavily on my mind since a recent event, reported in local media, about three teenagers who attacked and then killed 10 stray cats. This example of animal abuse was called "sadistic" and shocking to local residents in a Shanghai paper, and police were trying to track down the vicious teens involved.

In Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Captain Kirk presided over the funeral of his first mate and best friend, Spock, by saying, "of all the souls I have encountered in my travels, his was the most human."

Reflecting upon this quotation, we recognize that Spock was not human; he was an alien being called a Vulcan. In this, Kirk was asserting that a living being is human, and thus valued, based upon something other than the qualities of his birth. That is, someone is human not because he is born from humans but because he acts humanely. The same point is made in Planet of the Apes and other science-fiction films.

What is true for Vulcans is also a reality for our animal friends, to which any loving pet owner can testify. Our animal friends have the capacity for the same nobility that gives us value. They can love and comfort others, and they can be the best of friends. In addition, they can suffer just as we can suffer - a sad fact for the stray cats killed recently by demented youngsters.

The ability for animals to experience pain and confusion is what makes their dealings with children troublesome. A young person can, in one moment, enjoy petting a cat and speaking to it in a playful and friendly manner. Then, in the next minute, the child can lunge at the animal and begin to smother it. I have seen a 3-year-old boy wrap his hands around his cat's neck and enjoy its death throes.

Children are unthinking, and they only get better through experience, which is why parents need to begin by talking to them about animal abuse. Certainly, it is not an easy conversation. Just like lectures on sex or bullying, discussing animal abuse is uncomfortable, made difficult by a parent's reluctance in accepting that it is necessary, that their child is capable of ugly behavior.

Likely, the parents of the three teenagers who went on a cat killing spree would also be shocked. What we learn from these youngsters, however, is that young people are capable of thoughtless violence. And, from observations of the nasty behavior of very young children, we see that thoughtlessness begins at an early age.

Talk with your children about how the suffering of animals is the same as the pain they experience themselves, and watch them so that they behave well. This will not only keep animals around them safe, it will keep the children safe themselves.