Scenario: Her name was "Muffin." She was young and beautiful for her seven years. She was bludgeoned to death with a pipe wrench, later marinated and barbecued, and partially eaten. A band of cannibals, you say? No. Muffin was a Calico cat who had previously been adopted by Wayne Lutz and his family in Elk Mound, Wisconsin. Elk Mound is about 90 miles east of Minneapolis. According to Lutz, the cat was very friendly and would let anyone pet her. But one day, Muffin turned up missing. The police were not impressed. After all, cats will stray. Lutz launched his own search for Muffin. Eventually, he discovered that some neighbors had been bragging to others about finding a cat, killing it, and barbecuing it. He reported his findings to police who investigated on their own. Police questioned several possible suspects and, soon thereafter, three persons were charged with felony mistreatment and killing of an animal. They were Richard Beliveau, 33; David Miller, 30; and Susan Enderle, 34. They were each fined $20,000 and sentenced to three years in prison, the maximum penalties prescribed by law. Lutz said, "Muffin was a family pet. We have two little girls here. One had her birthday yesterday. What a birthday present."

Question: What do you think about the severity of the sentences imposed for the cat killing? Were they excessive punishments under the law? Why or why not? What are some ethical considerations that can be highlighted here? Discuss.