What is Animal Cruelty under Penal Code § 597?

When most of us think of animal cruelty, we imagine the gang member being prosecuted for letting his pit bulls fight.  We think of someone who leaves his or her dog in a car during a hot summer day.  Or we think of a person who commits an act of violence against a family pet.  Yet what really qualifies as animal cruelty?  Click on the link here to read a summary of a San Diego area case that clarifies this crime – http://www.greghillassociates.com/lawyer-attorney-1827751.html