What does Hinduism say about how we treat animals?

the same Self lives in every creature, so ahiṃsā and kindness extend to animals too.

Hindu teaching holds that every living being has an ātman. The Gītā praises the one who sees others' joy and pain as their own (6.32), and the Mahābhārata repeatedly calls ahiṃsā, non-harming, the highest dharma. Many deities have animal companions — Gaṇeśa's mouse, Durgā's lion, Śiva's Nandī, Viṣṇu's Garuḍa — reminding devotees that animals belong in the sacred world.

Daily practice once included bhūta-yajña, one of the five household offerings: setting aside food for birds, dogs, cows and other creatures before eating. Many families still feed a cow, birds or street dogs, and keep water out for animals in summer.

In modern life this can mean not tormenting or abandoning pets, supporting animal shelters, avoiding products made with needless cruelty, and teaching children gentleness with all creatures. The question of diet is discussed separately, but kindness to animals is common ground for all Hindus.

Source: Bhagavad Gītā 6.32; Mahābhārata · Bhūta-yajña: food for all creatures

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