Sloth: "Legally speaking, I believe people have a right to do whatever they want with their own property (not established in this article), even live animals."
??? Where did you get this? Animal cruelty laws apply whether or not the animals are yours.
He got it out of his a**. The law everywhere forbids cruelty to animals (one's own and those of others) ; the only difference is, in some locales it's a felony, in others merely a misdemeanor. The law requires animal owners to provide their animals (pets and livestock) with adequate food, shelter, and water. Some places also list 'medical care' , too. If an owner fails to provide these necessities, the animal can and will be seized, and the owner may be prosecuted (felony or misdemeanor, depending on local laws and /or severity of abuse or neglect).
In NO place is a person allowed to torture an animal merely because they own it. Even livestock must be butchered under regulations meant to provide as quick and painless a death as possible. I don't know why so many freepers chant that idiotic mantra,"If you own an animal, it's not a crime to do (whatever) to it" when the laws on animal cruelty and neglect everywhere contradict them.