Cruelty to Rats

(Petaluma, California) It appears to me that this incident sets some sort of precedent.

From DailyBreeze.com:

A man found living with more than 1,300 rats last year faces new charges after 37 rats and six cats were seized from the filthy cabin of his sailboat, animal control officers said.

Roger Dier of Petaluma was cited for cruelty to animals and confining animals in too small of a space following the discovery of the animals Thursday in the boat anchored on the Petaluma River.

Now, I can understand the need for animal cruelty laws but I don't understand how those laws could be rationally applied to treatment of vermin. It's inconceivable to me how filthy, disease-carrying vermin can be treated cruelly. Hell, they're at home in the sewer. Of course, California is a different universe. Don't be surprised if the California cockroach is someday granted protected status.