Table 1.

Theme Descriptions, Examples, and Frequencies

Themes	Description and Theme Content	Examples
Theme 1 (n=29)— Power/Control in the Context of IPV	Threats to and/or harm of an animal reported by the child that were perpetrated by the mother’s partner with the intent to: Perpetuate fear in the home; isolate the mother; punish the mother for leaving or showing independence; and/or prevent the mother from leaving.	“My dad last week said that he was very upset with my mother and that he was going to burn the bird’s wings with a lighter.”
Theme 2 (n= 14)— Punishment of Animals	Threats to harm animals and/or animal maltreatment by family members aimed to punish a pet for undesired behaviors. Any action children perceived as a threat to or actual harm of a pet was included, despite the severity of the threat or maltreatment.	“My dad hurt my cat because she latched onto my leg and he tried to pull her off and then she latched onto him and he flung her into the cabinet and she passed out.”
Theme 3 (n=9)— Cruelty to Animals by Siblings	Experiences of animal-directed violence or threats to harm an animal perpetrated by siblings. These experiences encompassed: Intentional cruelty to the animal Animal-directed threats/harm motivated by the sibling’s negative emotions Incidents of animal maltreatment by a sibling that also described the child’s own involvement in animal-directed cruelty	“My little brother just got mad and threw the cat down the stairs.” “My brother sometimes tortures our cat. I used to, too. I used to torture my other cats. I don't now but my brother still does.”
Theme 4 (n=11)— Preventative Protection Involving Mother’s Partner	Children’s behaviors that prevented interactions between the mother’s partner and pet in order to protect the animal from harm when there was no immediate threat to the animal.	“My dog always sleeps with me in my room so that my dad does not hurt him. My dad does not like the dog because my grandmother gave it to my mother.”
Theme 5 (n= 9)—Direct Intervention Involving Mother’s Partner	Children’s actions aimed to protect a companion animal in immediate danger of being harmed or currently being harmed by the mother’s partner. Specifically: Self-reported verbal and/or physical behaviors of the child that involved their physical presence or direct involvement in incidents involving immediate threat and/or harm to the animal by the mother’s partner. These behaviors were carried out with the goal of stopping or reducing harm to the animal or keeping the partner from carrying out a threat.	“I was trying to tell my dad not to tie my cat on the rope but he did it anyways.” “That day that my dad said he would burn my dog on the grill, I took him into my room and locked him in the closet with food and water until the next day.”