"Unnecessary cruelty" refers to acts of deliberate harm or mistreatment that are excessive or lacking any valid reason. It means being unnecessarily mean or harsh towards someone or something without any purpose or justification. Full definition
And one thing that unites us as animal sheltering and rescue professionals is the vow to protect animals from unnecessary cruelty and death. (animalsheltering.org)
[Judge -RCB- «Bell ruled that McDonald's endangered the health of their workers and customers by «misleading advertising», that they «exploit children», that they were «culpably responsible» in the infliction of unnecessary cruelty to animals, and that they were «antipathetic» to unionisation and paid their workers low wages.» (law.stackexchange.com)
Most moral and religious traditions oppose both the encouragement of immorality, and also unnecessary cruelty. (religion-online.org)