What Is Animal Cruelty: Does It Truly Link To Domestic Violence?

The idea of having a pet for a companion is loving and sweet, but what is unacceptable is seeing those adorable animals being abused or mistreated by their owners. Then the question becomes: what leads to that abuse? Does it somehow link to domestic violence? If so can that somehow be prevented for the future?

Many studies have agreed that animal cruelty and domestic violence does connect with one another. However there are many reasons that might lead to animal cruelty as for examples it could have been due to childhood issues or the child might have been exposed to it, could be because of peer pressure or a gang ritual acceptance, or connecting with domestic violence where the partner of the victim gains power and control.

According to

Psychological violence means intense and repetitive degradation, creating isolation, and controlling the actions or behaviors of the spouse through intimidation or manipulation to the detriment of the individual” (Domestic Violence). Domestic violence links with animal cruelty because it is “a form of power and control” (National Link Coalition). As where the abuser of the victim wants to feel powerful and have control whenever they don’t have it their way. They do this by verbal, emotional, physical, sexual, spiritual, financial, and animal abuse. Especially animal abuse because the abuser knows that their partner would have more sympathy toward an animal than themselves. In which it allows the abuser to make their partner to stay in the unhealthy relationship for the safety of their animals. According to some independent surveys taken by victims of domestic violence, “between 18% and 48% of battered women have delayed their decision to leave their batterer or have returned to their batterer out of fear for the welfare of their pets or livestock” (Guest). So when their partner decide to stay in the unhealthy relationship is because their abuser threaten to harm their loving pets if they decide to leave. And that allows them to gain control over them in making them do what they want by harming an innocent