The guy cracks a cow in the head with a specially designed killing hammer which both renders the beast unconscious and damages the brain sufficiently to cause death. It's quick, and fairly humane. The fellow does this because he needs to eat, and he feels that the cow will nourish him sufficiently. There's even enough for several other people to share. The cow is eaten and helps people continue to live.
The guy that killed the kitten threw it against a wall with sufficient force to crush it's skull, but not enough force to kill the animal outright. It was done in such a manner as to be cruel. Also, he did not kill the kitten to eat it, or so that others could eat it, but rather so he could intimidate and scare his pregnant girlfriend.
If you can't tell the difference between the two above scenarios, you're either blind, or intentionally obtuse.
