I think there should be a special hell for people who abuse children and animals.
I agree.
But unfortunately, many people who neglect pets don't think they are abusing them.
A family in my neighborhood has 3 cats and 1 dog. The dog is now a tripod, after having a leg amputated after a car accident.
The female cat was spayed (after having a litter) and gets to live in the house.
The two male cats (her sons) were never neutered, or ever taken to the vet as far as I know.
I haven't seen one for a while (he might be the one I tried to catch to take to the shelter to find an actual good home after I found out they were left out their first winter here with just a cardboard box on the porch to sleep on like some bums), but I've been feeding the other one on and off since late summer, when he came around all beaten up and skinny (I'd been socializing with him before: petting, talking to him, but hadn't actually given him food.
When he comes around now--2-3 days a week either morning or evening--he's obviously more starved for attention and love than hungry for food most of the time.
I saw him on the neighbors' porch with their son one day. The son--about 6 or 7--was throwing snowballs towards another neighbor's house, and the cat was rubbing up against him trying to get his attention. The kid went into the house without even paying attention to him (so I gave him an extra big snuggle later!) What a lesson to teach their kids: that cats don't need love or attention or even regular feeding as far as I can tell (the family was gone for a few days around Thanksgiving, and I don't know how they left food for the cat---he did come to see me more often!)