Humane societies, animal shelters and animal pounds can avoid being charged with cruelty by killing sick or injured animals. It doesn't matter if the facility has caused the illness, only that they don't allow the animal to continue to be sick so that they can't be charged with permitting suffering.

No-kill shelters also have sick animals, especially cat shelters, but they treat the illness instead of killing the animal. So during the period of illness and treatment, they can have their animals seized on the grounds that they are permitting suffering.

How twisted is that? Very, in my opinion.