I guess cruelty is in the eye of the beholder. Popping a cat with a low powered airsoft gun is utterly harmless. As harmless as spraying one with a water gun. I tell ya, if I sprayed my wife with cold water from a water pistol, going to jail would be a relief compared to what she would do to me. Id be in far less trouble for getting her with an airsoft rifle. (And no, Im not in the habit of shooting my wife with anything.)