While there is some legal protection against mistreatment and such, the safeguards in place are often not enforced by those with the power to act. How many times must complaints be ignored before the public decides that enough is enough? If compassion and kindness can change the suffering of a cold and neglected creature, whether the actions are considered legal or not, it's simply the right thing to do.

"A man is truly ethical only when he obeys the compulsion to help all life which he is able to assist and shrinks from injuring anything that lives." Albert Schweitzer 1875-1965