One of the bills to sadly die at Tuesday’s legislative deadline would have made it a felony to abuse a cat or dog on the first offense.
The Senate proposal, even while scaled down from previous animal-cruelty legislation, faced tough sledding when it was assigned to two committees — a favorite tactic used by legislative leaders to kill a bill.
It’s unconscionable that no matter how cruel or savage someone might be to a cat or dog — burning it alive, beating it to death, starving it — it’s still a misdemeanor in Mississippi until the abuser gets caught doing it twice.
Lawmakers apparently succumbed to the irrational fear that protecting pets could lead to restrictions on farming practices as well as hunting and fishing.
