Injuring an Animal Is a Warning Sign of Domestic Violence

Despite the well-known risks, there are few resources available for victims with pets.

Editorial Wild beim Wild — 14 July 2025

Hobby hunters do not only go hunting — they are eager to remind us of this fact time and again.

Yet these seemingly selfless side activities generally serve to secure the continuation of hunting, rather than the common good of people or wildlife.

The mistreatment of animals is part of a larger cycle of abuse and is often a precursor to violence against humans.

Despite the well-documented connection, there are few resources to support victims of domestic violence who have pets.

A thorough safety plan should also include provisions for protecting the animals in the household.

During their first argument, Caroline’s boyfriend kicked her cat Luna. He later apologised, claiming she had simply been “in the wrong place.” Over time, however, the violence escalated — directed not only at Caroline, but at Luna as well. On one occasion, he locked Luna outside during a storm to punish Caroline after an argument.

Caroline wants to leave, but the thought of what might happen to Luna if she does haunts her. The shelters in her area do not allow pets, and Luna has nowhere else to go. “I can’t leave,” she said later. «I can’t leave her in a shelter. She is my baby.»

It was only when she was connected with a pet-friendly shelter in another location, and helped to develop a safety plan that included Luna, that Caroline felt safe enough to leave.

The evolutionary development that leads to the ‘perversion’ of the hunting instinct in today’s recreational hunter originates from the resulting advantage of personal and social power, as well as dominance over those who are weaker.

Blood must flow in order to kill – an act of barbarism. It is therefore an appetite stimulant, as is the struggle of the victim. Hunting is fascinating and emotionally arousing for men, and less frequently for women, with the parallel release of testosterone, serotonin and endorphins that produce a feeling of euphoria.

One must distinguish between hunting and everything else, because just because a hobby hunter plants a hedge does not mean that shooting a fox, pine marten, hare, wood pigeon or jay suddenly makes sense.

The vast majority – approximately 95% according to experts – of animals killed through hunting do not need to be regulated. This applies, for example, to wild birds, most species of which are threatened at the European level. Or foxes, according to numerous case studies such as Luxembourg, the United Kingdom, Geneva or national parks.

The arguments used to justify the practice of recreational hunting are ineffective from a scientific and ethical standpoint.

If you have ever seen cruel and disturbing videos of animals in slaughterhouses, you probably do not know that hunters are no less cruel. Hobby hunters show us this every day on social media. Nor is it an honest way of obtaining meat, as hobby hunters repeatedly and falsely claim.

Recreational hunting has no positive effects other than the enjoyment it provides to hobby hunters and the sectarian socialising it brings to villages.

Injuring an animal is often a precursor to violence against people

Animal abuse is part of a larger cycle of fear and dominance and is often a precursor to violence against people, according to a study. Perpetrators frequently use pets as instruments of control; they may injure animals, threaten to injure them, or even kill them in order to intimidate their victims and assert their dominance.

A study examining this connection concluded that «an woman whose partner had threatened pets was five times more likely to belong to the group of violent intimate partners». Despite the well-known connections, animal cruelty is often dismissed by authorities and the public as «no big deal», especially when human safety is the primary concern. There are few laws protecting against animal cruelty, and even fewer are actually enforced. And in cases of domestic violence, it is rare to see the abuse of pets included in abuse assessments or safety plans.

Those who work in the field of domestic violence know that abusers use every available means to exert power and control – often including tactics that are legally ambiguous or otherwise easy to conceal. This is because abusers know that the longer they operate in the grey area of the law, the longer they can maintain control. This allows them to continue abusing without facing consequences. By downplaying or overlooking animal cruelty, perpetrators who harm animals are given a free pass to engage in this form of violence unchecked.

Many victims remain in abusive situations because of their pets

Like Caroline, many victims remain in abusive situations because they do not want to leave their pets behind. And while this is slowly changing, at least in many larger cities, many shelters do not accept animals.

With victims like Caroline, this often means helping them explore options that seem impossible – risking their own safety or leaving their furry family members behind. All too often, one finds that abusers use this bond as a weapon, knowing it can be used to trap and silence victims who love their animals and have nowhere to go to escape.

To help victims, space must be created so that they can bring their animals with them.

Anyone advocating for survivors must acknowledge that all living beings in an abusive home are at risk. For this reason, a safety plan should always include a plan for the pets in the household. Specialists should be encouraged to ask questions about violence or harm toward others, including animals, as this is an important indicator of abuse. Society has a responsibility to continue working toward creating safe spaces for victims and their entire family, including animals.

Added value:

More on this in the dossier: Psychology of Hunting

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