One Easy to Answer....
The answer to this question must be NO. Since Petz is presented by the company as a simulation of the pet-owning experience, a wide range of Petz behaviors & interactions is presented...some positive & some not so desirable. The Petz player is encouraged to offer rewards (petting & treats) for "good" behavior & to discipline for "naughty" behavior. The Spray Bottle Toy is the virtual equivalent of the Humane Society USA's recommended disciplinary method for pet cats & dogs: a squirt of water.
The "runaway" feature upsetting to so many inexperienced players was included so that children's neglect of Petz or adopting too many Petz to play with in a single gaming session would yield some consequence, just as it would in real life with real animals.
Technically, it is impossible to "fight" Petz. Catz will roll around in a ball, spitting & yowling, but one eventually pins the other & licks its chest. Then both jump up & go their separate ways.
Petz do not react at all when "thrown around." They do not display sadness when favorite toys or food dishes are put away , but they will appear to "miss" a mate, friend when the other Pet is put back into the Carrier, and will plaintively solicit attention from a gamer who ignores it.
In the PETZ games, there is no blood, no foot to kick, no stake in the yard with a short lead attached, no torn ears, no suffering or death. If such events & features had been included in the PETZ games, a strong argument could be made for the game designers encouraging virtual animal abuse.
That is too open a question to be answered here, but it is enough to say that it is being actively discussed by adults as well as children. When images of (for example) murder, violence against women, or sex with minor children, gets so realistic that without close examination we can't tell the simulation from real photography or film, what ARE we to conclude? Is it abuse...or is is merely self-abuse? Does the fantasy engender the act....or does it defuse the act? What does your use of media tell me about you? Because when children complain that Petz abuse "bothers" them, unconsciously at least,that's exactly the question they're asking.....
HK
7/12/02