04-15-2008, 04:19 PM
(This post was last modified: 05-13-2013, 03:30 PM by Director Michael.)
Although the liability for a transgression is upon the Gentile who actually willfully commits it, it would be wrong to take a male cat to that "shelter." A pious individual would go a little out of his/her way to find another shelter which doesn't routinely do castration as a standard practice for all the pets it receives.
That is because the judgment of whether or not castration or spaying of a Gentile's pet is justified (for the sake of some specific human need regarding that specific animal) should be made on a case-by-case basis. Simply making an opinion that "there are too many pets", and then inflicting physical injury on a specific animal on that arbitrary basis alone, violates the injunction against inflicting unjustified pain or suffering on a living creature.
That is because the judgment of whether or not castration or spaying of a Gentile's pet is justified (for the sake of some specific human need regarding that specific animal) should be made on a case-by-case basis. Simply making an opinion that "there are too many pets", and then inflicting physical injury on a specific animal on that arbitrary basis alone, violates the injunction against inflicting unjustified pain or suffering on a living creature.