Would these people leave a small child in a room with easy-open bottles of toxic chemicals within reach? Would they tell you, "Oh, let the kid lean out the fourth-story window. What's the harm?"

What people who don't care about animals fail to understand is that many of us love our pets like children. To us, words like "Why worry--it's just a cat," are as harsh as if they'd said "You should let your child play with knives." Pets are family. And anyone who is insensitive enough to criticize someone else for loving and caring for a pet, and keeping that pet out of danger, is a very cruel person indeed.