The Empathy Toward Animals (ETA) scale assesses the emotional and cognitive dimensions of animal-directed empathy. Items were adapted from an existing human-directed empathy scale and validated for use in mindfulness research. The ETA scale is also relevant to human-animal relationship research. Existing literature has highlighted associations between animal-directed empathy and human-directed empathy and compassion, attitudes and beliefs about animals and nature, and pertinent demographics. The ETA scale distinguishes animal-directed empathy from human-directed empathy, offering a novel tool for researchers to measure empathy toward this specific target. Psychometric analyses supported the internal and external validity of a 10-item structure of the scale consisting of two factors, Empathic Concern and Perspective Taking, and a total score. Given that the scale was initially validated in a majority Canadian context, further research is needed to verify its psychometric properties and assess cross-cultural differences. To address this gap, the development and validation of translated versions of the scale are needed. Future directions may include increasing applicability of the ETA across cultural and linguistic contexts, and assessing interventions aimed at cultivating animal-directed empathy, connection with animals and nature, and environmental awareness.