Surveys conducted on psychiatric patients reveal that people with psychopathic personality disorders have a tendency to torture pets and other small animals. This type of behavior is termed as zoosadism and such people may show similar aggression towards humans as well. It is often found that children and adolescents who show cruelty towards their dogs and cats have actually undergone some abusive behavior themselves or have witnessed some forms of abuse.
Animal abuse can be reduced to a great extent, if people stop treating animals as their personal property. They end up abusing animals more because of their attitude that animals are needed either as food or as companions or for entertainment.