Any animal, be it cattle (cows, bulls, buffalo, horse), parrot, dog etc should not be kept should you not have the means to look after them with fodder, water, or any other food stuff required by such animals. In similar fashion one should have adequate facilities for keeping such animals – i.e. stables etc. Facilities should be such that the animals are comfortable and at peace.
If at any stage one is unable to maintain the level of standards for keeping the animals then they should be given away to those with adequate facilities. Parashar explains, ‘Prosperity is destroyed where animals sigh through hunger, thirst, punishment, and through staying in a place which is unfit for living (mosquito infested etc). The Punya of a household is destroyed where animals are tied up and thirsty, a woman during her menses resides and where God is left unworshipped at evening time.’ One should refer to Parashar Smruti for further information upon this.
Shatanand has clarified that any animal - be it cattle or a pet of some kind must be looked after properly. If one is unable to do this then they should not keep such animals. This really brings about the issue of animal cruelty to light. Questions of keeping a parrot locked up in a small cage for personal amusement when clearly it must be discomforting for the bird are addressed. Some animals are often tortured. A recent study showed that an overwhelming majority of pets were not given adequate care and a good proportion of which were given 'bad' care. The report concluded that the reasons for this were overwhelmingly the fact that pet owners did not accurately know how to care for such animals.