I once literally threw a man out of my house who had the audacity to kick at my cat, who was simply trying to sniff his shoes to find out where he had been. I asked him what he thought he was doing, and he answered, " I don't like cats!" That was about 2 nano-seconds before I was throwing him out my front door and escorting him to his car. Pooh-bah was the nicest, gentlest male cat I have ever had, and all anyone had to do was to talk to him, or shoo him away. And he was In HIS HOUSE!
With most pets, all you have to do is TALK TO THEM. If they are getting into something that they shouldn't, shoo them away. Cats have a God Complex- they believe they own everything they can see, or walk to. Cats have servants, while Dogs have Masters.
If you have trouble with a neighbor's cat, talk to the neighbor. But don't go abusing the pet. It is only acting normally. It doesn't know better.
Frankly, If you ever abused a cat of mine- they are housecats- but all cats Think they have to go outside, and will run out when they have a chance-- you will be a dead man walking. And not for very long. I lost a 12 and a 15 year old cats to strokes last year, and a 17 year old cat to cancer also. I still have an 18 year old female. They were all family to me- and I would no more see harm come to them by some idiot than I would to any child.
There are accepted differences between pets, and strays and wild cats. I have no problem with people getting rid of wild cats, or strays, that have been dumped, and are starving and stealing food from pets. There is just too much of a chance that these animals can transmit diseases to pets through such contact. I have taken in strays all my life- to a point-- and I think people who do likewise have a special place in heaven waiting for them. Some of the animals people dump in rural areas are so sick, its very expensive to get them the medical care needed to save their lives. The three cats I lost were all strays- I picked up my big guy, and my ex-wife picked up the other two. My surviving cat came from a farm that had way too many cats, and she was the runt because she could not compete with all the bigger cats for the common plate of food put out. The past 17 plus years she has lived with me have been very good years for her. She is absolutely wonderful around "guests" at our home. She understands English very well( when she wants to), and responds to calls and commands, as long as you have her attention. She is losing her hearing in her old age, so we are making certain adjustments with her.