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Original poster

Who's responsible legally for vet fees

137 replies

atomsandphysics · 19/08/2016 10:47

Dog is in its garden. Six foot fencing.
Cat jumps into garden meaning dog chases cat. Cat grabs dog. Dog grabs cat.

Who is responsible for the cats vet fees legally and can anything be down about the dog.

OP posts:
BarbaraofSeville · 19/08/2016 15:38

I think, legally, you can't be held responsible for damage caused by your cat, but you can for a dog, hence that third party liability insurance is included in dog insurance but not cat insurance.

I suppose, morally, if a cat damages property or injures someone else's pet, especially while trespassing, the cat owner should probably offer to cover the damage/bills caused. if my cat injured a dog, I don't know if I would or wouldn't tbh.

I might do if I thought the other party would suffer hardship - eg they had to pay vet bills for the dog and were less well off than me, I might offer to cover the insurance excess. I would bahave insurance ulk at paying an uninsured bill because I consider it irresponsible to choose to have pets without insurance if you couldn't pay the bills yourself, although obviously circumstances change.

user1471428758 · 19/08/2016 15:42

Sight hounds are not badly trained, it's part of their temperament and they shouldn't have to be muzzled in their own garden just in case a cat comes in.

If part of a dog breed's temperament is to attack, then it should not be allowed to be kept as a pet, and if you are irresponsible enough to keep one and your dog attacks someone or something it's your own silly fault and you should be 100% liable.

BoneyBackJefferson · 19/08/2016 15:50

user1471428758

You are funny :)

ENormaSnob · 19/08/2016 15:55

Cat owners fault.

User1471...you are talking utter shite.

user1471428758 · 19/08/2016 16:08

Yeah, of course I am.

If you're idiotic enough to own a dog whose "temperament" is to attack, and it can't be trained out of it, then it's your own stupid fault if you end up paying for the consequences. That's "utter shite". Either train the dog properly, or don't own a dog whose temperament is to attack.

Hope your awful-temperament dog never attacks a child; will you defend it then with "it's the dog's temperament"?

AcornToOak · 19/08/2016 16:17

I have just been through this, literally this week

6 foot fence, large dog with no previous, next door neighbors cat Sad

The cat was seriously injured and I couldn't get hold of my next door neighbor, i took the cat to the vets as soon as I possibly could after trying everything I could think of to get hold of the owner, i paid for the cat to be made as comfortable as possible for as long as possible to give the owners a chance to say good bye and the i paid the outstanding bill

I couldn't have let the cat suffer, its not in my nature, and tbh being my next door neighbor it was a hit i just had to take to keep the peace

I have 2 cats of my own as well as rabbits, horses, reptiles, my dog has never shown any sort of aggression towards any one of them, i don't know what went through her head but she was too quick for me to stop Sad

Evilstepmum01 · 19/08/2016 16:19

User1471428758, I need your advice. My pet rabbit just nipped my DS, how do I train her out of it or is it my own fault for being stupid enough for owning a pet?

Seriously, he may be scarred for life. How do I train a creature out of its natural instincts?

CheshireChat · 19/08/2016 16:19

But the dog might only be a threat to other animals and/ or muzzled in public, my parents had a fairly aggressive dog and he was left to roam free in his own garden, nowhere else though.

Mind, we managed to teach the cats not to go after birds so the pigeons started coming in the kitchen to eat their food and they'd bloody let them!

PersianCatLady · 19/08/2016 16:20

persiancatlady- I wasn't thinking of that, because I have never heard of it. Fascinating though!
TBH to me it makes sense that people who would hurt animals would not be particularly nice people and therefore more likely to hurt other people as well.

I wonder if one day some scientist will find out what is wrong with people who do these awful things like hurting children, animals and other people?

I always wonder if maybe there is something missing in people's brains to make them not have the same kind of controls on their behaviour as "normal people".

MiddleClassProblem · 19/08/2016 16:20

They tend to go for things like cats and squirrels just as cats go for mice and birds. Both going for things smaller. I'm sure you don't say this stuff about cats. And just because they go for those things doesn't not mean they will go for people. They are very different things. Just as there are different kinds of attacks. If that dog picked up and shock the cat or bit along its back then it wouldn't be that same situation.

user1471428758 · 19/08/2016 16:22

For god's sake, don't be so obtuse.

If you can not train a dog out of its temperament to attack, it should not be kept a pet. Those who do so are irresponsible in the extreme. End of. Have you not read the news today?! Will that dog owner try to excuse it with "but it's the dog's temperament"?

CheshireChat · 19/08/2016 16:23

AcorntoOak was the dog defending another one of your pets? My very placid boxer only growled if she felt someone from her "pack" was being threatened, in one instance my cat and in another my mum and I.

AcornToOak · 19/08/2016 16:25

Cheshirecat im really not sure tbh it happened so quickly, i was stood behind her so maybe it was that

I honestly don't know what went through her head

The neighbors have 2 other cats too and shes not the slightest bit bothered by them, this one tho was another story Sad

AcornToOak · 19/08/2016 16:26

Cheshirechat sorry not cat

Evilstepmum01 · 19/08/2016 16:30

I see. So one 'bad' dog kills someone (bear in mind we do not know the situation) and you tar every single dog with the same brush?

not narrow-minded at all.

Acorn, sorry to hear about this, my old collie caught a kitten in our garden once and gave it a bite and a fright. I was horrified and took her in a towel to the owners door. She was raging but I just said look I'm sorry but it shouldnt have been in my garden. Kitten was ok, in shock, so I advised her to keep her warm and never had a cat in my garden again. The cats were killing the birds I fed, so I figure its nature. Think it was very kind of you to pay for it all, not a nice situation

MiddleClassProblem · 19/08/2016 16:32

Very different "attacks". A dog getting a small animal does not mean they will bite a human. But obviously you will think you're right even if people who know something you don't tell you. Stay ignorant, your choice. I'm sure you'll consider writing a post about how you do listen to people and you know certain things just to get the last word and you are welcome to it.

AcornToOak · 19/08/2016 16:37

Thank you evil, i feel absolutely hideous about it all if im honest, i spent the whole time in the vet in tears as I would my own pet

i do believe it is the nature of the beast to an extent, i also believe its our job as owners to take responsibility for their actions, im glad the kitten was ok in your circumstances Smile

SoupDragon · 19/08/2016 16:39

If part of a dog breed's temperament is to attack, then it should not be allowed to be kept as a pet

In the OPs case, the cat attacked the dog.

PersianCatLady · 19/08/2016 16:40

If you can not train a dog out of its temperament to attack, it should not be kept a pet
The dog was in its own garden.

user1471428758 · 19/08/2016 16:42

I see. So one 'bad' dog kills someone (bear in mind we do not know the situation) and you tar every single dog with the same brush?

Did I say that? Tell me exactly where I did, please.

I said that if you own a breed of dog whose known temperament is to attack, and it can't be trained out of it, then either it should not be kept as a pet or you have only yourself to blame when you have to shoulder the cost - emotionally or financially - of its behaviour.

Jesus, how do some of you manage to get through a day with such poor reading and comprehension skills?

MiddleClassProblem · 19/08/2016 16:59

user1471428758 Didn't say every dog. Just every dog that attacks something (anything living?) even if attacked first (as the case in op).

Original poster
atomsandphysics · 19/08/2016 17:03

I'm not going to get into an argument with User.

I will point out that as I said she didn't actually touch the cat until the cat grabbed her face which has left a nasty bite to her face and four puncture marks including her eye and as I said the only one who was screaming was my dog. As soon as I got to them the cat let go of her face and jumped over the fence. There's no fur or blood or signs of cat injury and I checked to make sure it wasn't in the next garden hurt.

I don't know what made her do it. She never has before. There was another dog out who ran first.
She will be muzzled however in the garden from now on because I can't take that risk. She will not go out alone. She has never reacted to squirrels or cats or ducks or before and is known local for how human friendly she is. She's had full training, socialisation, goes to day care etc.

I'm assuming user suggests I put her to sleep.

OP posts:
IamtheZombie · 19/08/2016 17:08

In the US cats have to be kept indoors.

Zombie would like to see proof of this assertion as she believes it to be a sweeping generalisation. There may be localities with bye-laws which provide for this but it is NOT true across the whole of the US.

madgingermunchkin · 19/08/2016 17:13

You cannot muzzle her in her own garden because she reacted to being attacked. That's just madness, and punishing the dog for reacting as any dog would be expected to react when attacked.

Hopefully, it will teach the cat to stay out of your garden!

user1471428758 · 19/08/2016 17:18

user1471428758 Didn't say every dog. Just every dog that attacks something (anything living?) even if attacked first (as the case in op)

I didn't say that either. My god, are you people really so lacking in comprehension skills that you can't understand basic English?