"From a psychological perspective, harm toward animals is rarely about animals alone. Research has long identified childhood cruelty to animals as an early indicator of later aggression, not because it directly causes violence, but because it reflects deeper difficulties in emotional regulation and empathy development". [Source.](From a psychological perspective, harm toward animals is rarely about animals alone. Research has long identified childhood cruelty to animals as an early indicator of later aggression, not because it directly causes violence, but because it reflects deeper difficulties in emotional regulation and empathy development)