[Lestat]

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i'm pretty sure cats do sometimes torture and kill "for fun." so maybe the people are torturing the cats righteously.

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Even when a cat doesn't eat what it kills (and appears to be playing), this activity actually hones it's hunting skills.

And even if you want to make the case that housecats are fed and have no reason to kill, they certainly don't have the cognative ability to realize their hunting instincts are no longer needed.