In the wake of responses to Monday’s article (the topic of an earlier post of mine) about public outcry against the video in which a man kicks a stray cat, the NYT has posed the following question:

Animal cruelty can be charged as a felony in all 50 states, and stiffer penalties have grown more common. But what factors should lead to vigorous prosecution of animal abusers and how extensive should animals’ legal rights be?

Visit this page to read responses by prominent animal welfare and animal ethics experts.  I think you’ll be surprised by some of their answers.