Animal Cruelty

Cruel treatment. (a) No person or owner may beat, cruelly treat, torment, starve, overwork or otherwise abuse any animal. (b) No owner may abandon any animal where it may become a public charge or may suffer injury, hunger or exposure. People who are suspected of being guilty of cruelty to animals or neglect may be prosecuted under Class B misdemeanor. The punishment for Class B misdemeanor is prison term of up to six months. Aggravated cruelty is charged as a Class 4 felony. #animalcruelty,

Animal Abuse

 In Illinois, it’s a crime to abuse animals in any way, including:

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• beating, tormenting, starving, or overworking any domestic or wild animal
• abandoning an animal where it could become injured or hungry, suffer from exposure, or end up under the charge of animal control
• poisoning animals on purpose, and
• leaving pet dogs or cats for a long period of time under conditions that expose them to extreme heat or cold and results in death, injury, hypothermia, hyperthermia, or frostbite.

Animal abuse is generally a misdemeanor. However, it bumps up to a felony if:

• the person had a previous conviction for the same crime
• the cruelty was intentional and led to the animal’s serious injury or death
• the animal was tortured, or
• anyone other than a licensed vet intentionally killed a pet with carbon monoxide.#animalabuse,