[Ramius]

Many states (e.g., Georgia) prohibit shooting a dog, for example, unless there is imminent threat of physical harm to your person or property or that of another.

I'm sure there's many such laws. Shooting an animal may also violate gun discharge laws in cities or whatnot. That's not what I was saying. This guy was charged not for killing the animal or discharging the gun... he was charged with "animal cruelty".

[riverdawg]

In Texas, which has a very narrowly drawn “animal cruelty law” that would not have applied to the feral cat in this article, animal cruelty is defined to include, among other things, killing, seriously injuring, or poisoning an animal. So, yes, the definition of animal cruelty often extends to killing, not merely - say - torturing, an animal. And this type of law applies even in jurisdictions where there is no specific law against discharging a weapon in public.