What has gotten into some of us? We ask this question because we’re amazed at how cruel some folks in our society seem — especially when they mistreat animals.

This week, the Natchez Police arrested and charged a 67-year-old man for allegedly pouring a scalding liquid onto a neighbor’s pet cat. Police say the cat also had cigarette burns on its body.

The cat died a slow, painful death.

And apparently such cruelty to one of God’s creatures is more common than we might initially think.

In Madison, Wis., a 23-year-old man pleaded no contest to the charges stemming from an incident in which he killed a fraternity brother’s parrot by cooking it in a microwave. His sentence included donating $1,000 to a local humane shelter.

Nothing can explain such actions other than some underlying mental problem. It makes us wonder: If they will mistreat a defenseless animal, what might they be capable of doing to a human?

We guess the perpetrators in such cases somehow got some kind of kick out of feeling power over another creature. Such predators deserve to be locked up. No creature deserves to be mistreated in such a way.

Many of us consider the most valuable rule of life is the &uot;golden rule.&uot;

Almost every answer to life’s problems and crises can be found by boiling down the problem and applying the golden rule: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Quite simply, the rule means treat folks like you’d want to be treated.

It’s a great rule to use in dealing with every creature — even those that walk on four legs. Animals deserve to live their lives free of torture and mistreatment.