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Original poster

Who should pay for this?

66 replies

TheDoveFromAboveCooCoo · 23/04/2022 23:27

I shall preface by saying that neither of these people is me but I speak to neighbour 1 and neighbour 2.

Neighbour 1 had an oil leak on his car. Quite a big one. It was at the side of the road and not a risk to other vehicles and he didn't do anything about it, just got the car taken away to be fixed.

Neighbour 2 has a cat. Said cat has rolled in the oil and required expensive vets treatment to wash all of the oil out of her fur.

Neighbour 2 has spoken to neighbour 1 who has FINALLY covered the oil puddle in sand and offered to pay the vets bill. However N2 wife has now kicked off and refused to pay the bill as we should all be keeping our cats under control.

I am a little stuck in the middle as I have both of them speaking to me about it but I am with neighbour 2. He should have cleaned up the oil way before he was asked to.

Who do you think should pay the vets bill in this situation? I mean it's not gonna make a difference as N1 is adamant it won't be them but I was interested in others opinions on this!!

OP posts:
LunaMay · 23/04/2022 23:32

I wouldn't pay either, people need to control their cats.

ChudraWouldaShouldya · 23/04/2022 23:33

Pet insurance 😉

TibetanTerrah · 23/04/2022 23:34

LunaMay · 23/04/2022 23:32

I wouldn't pay either, people need to control their cats.

That might be your opinion, but its not the law.

If someone slipped and injured themselves in the oil it would be obvious who was at fault. As cats have the right to roam its the same.

IncredibleSulk · 23/04/2022 23:34

Cat owner

HotToddyColdSauvignon · 23/04/2022 23:35

I would have paid - it’s not just about the Cat - who did he expect would clean up the oil spill eventually? Magical fairies?

it’s laziness that has now cost him a vets bill. Cats and humans do not expect to have to navigate oil on the road. Neighbour one’s wife is a CF

MarilynValentine · 23/04/2022 23:35

Halvesies.

SW1amp · 23/04/2022 23:35

The owner pays
that’s the joy of cats, they do their own thing, wherever they want

unless the cat owner wants to follow the same logic and pay to clear up cat shit from all their neighbours gardens

BluKorner · 23/04/2022 23:36

Cat owner. They take the risk with things like this when they let the cat roam free.

What would they have done if they didn’t know who had the oil leak?

LondonQueen · 23/04/2022 23:36

I would pay as would feel mortified my car had leaked oil and put the cat in danger. However the cat owner should have insurance for unexpected events like this.

fallfallfall · 23/04/2022 23:40

the owner of the cat. and you don't need to rack up an expensive vet bill to clean off car oil/grease...dawn dish soap. that's what the professionals use.

Ohmygoshyoudontsay · 23/04/2022 23:42

Cat owner.

I would never dream of asking my neighbour to pay vet bills because my cat had rolled in something.

People are getting ruder and ruder.

Original poster
TheDoveFromAboveCooCoo · 23/04/2022 23:46

Cat owner does have insurance but the cat is now so elderly that the excess was pretty much the same amount as the bill.

OP posts:
Original poster
TheDoveFromAboveCooCoo · 23/04/2022 23:47

fallfallfall · 23/04/2022 23:40

the owner of the cat. and you don't need to rack up an expensive vet bill to clean off car oil/grease...dawn dish soap. that's what the professionals use.

She had to be sedated for the washing and then some fur shaved. She's a feisty little thing despite her advancing years!

OP posts:
Original poster
TheDoveFromAboveCooCoo · 23/04/2022 23:48

LunaMay · 23/04/2022 23:32

I wouldn't pay either, people need to control their cats.

When you find out how to do that please do let me know 😂

OP posts:
Faez · 23/04/2022 23:50

The cat owner

toastedcat · 23/04/2022 23:52

Me neither @Ohmygoshyoudontsay ! I would cringe at the thought tbh. I mean I'm not saying I wouldn't be pissed off about the oil, but it wouldn't occur to me to chase someone for money for my cat's misguided oil bath!

k1233 · 23/04/2022 23:52

Really not sure why cat owner couldn't have bathed it themselves. It's not difficult to do, just need shampoo suitable for cats. So I wouldn't be paying a vet bill for a visit that wasn't really required. Yes, I have owned cats and yes I have shampooed them.

LovelyLovelyWarmCoffee · 23/04/2022 23:53

Cat owner should pay. As a PP wrote, they don’t pay to pay for cat poo from people’s gardens/shoes/buggies, why should others pay to clean the oil off their cat?

Bedsheets4knickers · 23/04/2022 23:54

My god I see oil patches on almost every drive and every road . If my car leaked oil I wouldn't do anything other then fix the car ... I have had to buy a scooper to pick up cat shit from my garden so I'd take that as collateral. We do not have a cat .

HalfShrunkMoreToGo · 23/04/2022 23:55

The car owner is clearly an inconsiderate dick for not cleaning up the puddle of oil but when you have a cat that you allow outside you accept the risk that they may get injured when outside and that getting them cared for will be your cost.

What would they have done if the cat had rolled in a puddle of oil several streets away and they didn't know who's car created it, or if the cat walked over glass from a bottle someone threw on the floor or ate some rat poison put down by a house somewhere in the neighbourhood?

fallfallfall · 23/04/2022 23:57

2 Pieces Cat Bathing Bag Shower Wash Net Anti Bite Anti Scratch Restraint Bag Breathable Multifunctional Cat Grooming Bag for Bathing Nail Trimming Examination Ears Clean Keep PET Calm (Pink, Green) : Amazon.co.uk: Pet Supplies
this with maybe maybe a tiny oral sedation tablet from the vet if worse comes to worse.

rahjama · 24/04/2022 00:00

Cat owner. They chose to have the cat? Cats do their own thing. It's not the other neighbours responsibility to think about everyone else's pets. They've got enough to take care of.

Thesefeetaremadeforwalking · 24/04/2022 00:08

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

PrincessPaws · 24/04/2022 00:10

If neighbour 1 knew about the leak and did nothing to sort it out (just sort his car), I'd say they should. I suspect you have a lot of cat haters answering, reframe it as a dog or a kid getting covered in oil from the leak, or it causing an accident, you'd get a different response.

PrincessPaws · 24/04/2022 00:12

But I think any of those scenarios are the same, they wouldn't happen if neighbour 1 had cleaned up the spill