What is considerd to be animal cruelty? 

Generally, animal cruelty is always associated with acts of cruelty or negligence committed against animals by humans. Intentional animal cruelty is highly associated with other crimes, including violence against humans.    ^{Show Source Texts}

Intentional cruelty is when a person intentionally causes harm or bodily harm to an animal. Intentional cruelty, or mistreatment, is intentionally depriving an animal of food, water, shelter, or medical treatment, or intentionally torturing, mutilating, disfiguring, or killing the animal. Animal cruelty laws generally cover deliberate, extreme animal neglect and abuse.    ^{Show Source Texts}

In states that treat animal cruelty as a misdemeanor, individuals committing an animal cruelty offense with intent may be punished with up to a one-year prison term and a $1,000 fine. Although many individuals are arrested for intentional cruelty, individuals who commit even the most abhorrent crimes against animals are not typically prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.    ^{Show Source Texts}

In California, if a person commits three acts of animal cruelty, he or she could face anywhere from a 25-year to a life prison term. Animal cruelty is illegal in every state, and some acts of animal cruelty are considered felonies as well.    ^{Show Source Texts}

Enforcement of laws against animal cruelty may be done by local police, or humane societies or municipal agencies, which are granted authority by state or local governments. Most municipalities have either a local Animal Control Department, or an Animal Shelter or Humane Society responsible for investigating abuse. This could be local police, the Animal Control Department, SPCA, or another local humane organization.    ^{Show Source Texts}

If an animals caregiver is unreachable, or you suspect the animal is suffering abuse as well as neglect, notify the local police, your local humane society, or the local SPCA (whichever is appropriate in your area) of the situation. If the animals life is not at risk, but you suspect neglect, it can be fruitful to approach the guardian and offer to assist, such as walking the dog, or even to help put the animal into a more suitable home.    ^{Show Source Texts}

If you see the animal suffering, do not assume someone else will handle the situation. Depending on the circumstances, there are a variety of ways that you can help your neighbors animals.    ^{Show Source Texts}

It can be heartbreaking to watch your neighbors animals suffer under a neglectful environment. Sometimes animal abuse is apparent, but it is usually less apparent cases of neglect that we see in our own neighborhoods. The animals most commonly reported for mistreatment are dogs, cats, horses, and livestock.    ^{Show Source Texts}

Examples include outright abuse of animals, fighting between dogs and crows, and companion animal neglect, in which animals are denied the essentials of care, such as fresh water and food, or a place to live. Severe neglect may also occur in situations where animals are hoarded, farmed for a living, or kept in vehicles which are too heated. This may be an indication that animals are being hoarded, making this situation no less violent.    ^{Show Source Texts}

If the cruelty to animals that resulted from negligence occurs three times, the third neglect-related action is charged as a misdemeanor. Illegal Animal Cruelty may involve deliberate cruelty, such as beating or maiming the animal, but may also involve negligence, such as failure to provide adequate shelter, food, or medical treatment. Illegal animal cruelty can include intentional abuse, such as beating or mutilating an animal, but it can also include neglect, such as failing to provide proper shelter, food, or medical care. Abandoning an animal; carrying or confining the animal in an abusive way; killing, severely injuring, or injecting an animal with poison; forcing the animal to fight with another animal; harming another animals pet; severely overworking the animals.    ^{Show Source Texts}

Sections 42.09 Cruelty to Animals and 42.092 Cruelty to Non-Animal Members of the Texas penal code prohibits a person from deliberately, intentionally, or recklessly treating an animal cruelly.    ^{Show Source Texts}

In Missouri, a person is guilty of animal abuse when the person deliberately or purposefully kills or harms an animal in a manner not permitted by law. In Missouri, a person may be found guilty of animal neglect when they are responsible for the care of an animal, or they own the animal, but they do not give proper care. A person also can be found guilty of animal cruelty by failing to provide adequate care, inflicting significant damage on the animal.    ^{Show Source Texts}

If you suspect someone is abusing or neglecting animals, contact the animal-related enforcement agency in the place where you believe abuse is occurring. To report an incident of animal cruelty that has already occurred (and could happen again, but does not currently present an immediate risk to animals), contact the police department in the area where you live, using their primary phone number.    ^{Show Source Texts}

Citizens may observe signs of animal cruelty within Montgomery County Montgomery County, then report it to the proper law enforcement office (the County Prosecutors Office pursues cases involving animal cruelty following an investigation by the law enforcement agencies, but does not typically directly receive reports of animal cruelty).    ^{Show Source Texts}

If you observe any neglect or animal abuse, you should immediately report it to the local law enforcement or county humane officer. If you witness any acts of animal abuse, neglect, or cruelty, your ethical duty is to report any acts of cruelty to your local law enforcement or whoever is responsible for investigating abuse within your community. A number of states grant civil and criminal immunity to veterinarians reporting suspected cases of animal abuse to law enforcement, since it is very likely that a veterinarian will first be exposed to abused animals.    ^{Show Source Texts}

Compared with other states, Texass Animal Cruelty Statute is extremely narrow in its scope, because it excludes some types of animals–including circus animals, wildlife animals, and animals used for experiments–from being protected under animal cruelty laws. The civil laws are broad in scope and make no distinction between domestic animals and wildlife; however, the civil statutes adopt a far narrower definition of what constitutes cruelty. On January 1, 2016, the FBI added animal cruelty as a category to the Uniform Crime Report, the national crime reporting system typically used in murder investigations.    ^{Show Source Texts}