Neighbour argument

[Flowerlane]

Name changed🤪

Excuse the length of the post and also any errors as using my phone.

2 neighbours are currently having a argument over a incident that happened this morning.

Neighbour A let her children and her dog out to play this morning in to her own garden neighbour B’s cat was in their garden and got spooked by the kids and the dog. The cat has tried to climb the tree to get over the fence but somehow has managed to get caught. Cat stuck in tree with dog at the bottom barking madly at it. Neighbour A and B have both run out to garden as the noise from the cat and the dog were both very loud. B manages to get the cat untangled by leaning over fence on a chair. Cat obviously has injured its leg and was rushed to the emergency vets.

Now B has knocked on A’s door and said that the cats leg may be broken and its having x rays this afternoon etc she is waiting for a phone call from the vet she then said how would A be paying the bill? Would she pay her or go direct to the vet and pay the bill?
A has stated that she is sorry that the cat has injured itself but she will not be paying as it was a accident and she can not see how she is at fault and has to pay for it.

B has gone mad and said her cat was spooked by her children and dog thats why he got stuck and was struggling to get away from a mad dog so it’s obvious she needs to pay!!

B said she will be back once the vet has phoned to let her know the amount and that if she isn’t prepared to pay she will be taking it to small claims court as it’s A’s fault her cat is injured.

A has asked my opinion as we are friends and whether she is being unreasonable. I think she is in the right and is not being unreasonable at all.

So why I sit and curtain twitchWhat do Mumsnet think is A being unreasonable by not paying the bill?

Madness, no way should A pay. Cats roam and her children and dog were in her own garden.

No way would I be paying the bill. If the dog was injured trying to chase the cat in the same scenario, would B pay? I doubt it!

Cats roam, it's a chance they take.

Dcat owner should have got a hamster...

B shouldn't let her cat wander into A's garden. Any injury is her own fault.

A has zero liability and should not pay

YANBU. Cat owners can't have it both ways. If they're happy for their cats to go where they want then they can hardly complain is it comes a cropper.

It's Bs fault the cat is injured. She allowed it to roam into a garden where there was a dog. The dog didn't actually harm the cat, the cat hurt itself.

If you have a free roaming cat, it is completely and utterly your responsibility to pay for its care if it gets hurt anywhere. Hit by a car, bitten by a dog, fell out of a tree, doesn't matter. I say this as a cat owner. A is under zero obligation to pay unless she deliberately hurt the cat (which would be a bigger issue regardless!).

I'm a cat owner,but the neighbour isn't to blame for the cat being in their garden.

B is chancing her arm and a completely CF to suggest it.

A ....should tell B to crack on and keep her cat out of her garden.

If A’s dog had broken into B’s garden and caused her cat to panic and get injured trying to escape then I’d agree that B should probably pay. As it was B’s cat was in A’s garden and A let her dog and child out to play. Unfortunately B’s cat was also in A’s garden and panicked and hurt itself trying to escape.

That’s just bad luck. Noones fault.

As far as my non legally trained knowledge goes, cats are considered independent wanderers, so you don’t have to report if you hit one in a car etc. It had wandered independently into your garden and was spooked. It also wasn’t injured as a result of the dog catching it, it was simply trying to get out. If your dog had been out of control and gone into their garden and attacked however that would have been different.

My cat roams as cats should. If it was injured like this or on the road it would 100% be my responsibility. How is A in any way unreasonable to let her kids and dogs out in her own garden? Should they have all waited inside until the cat decided to move on?

Madness.

B is bonkers.
Even judge Rinder would think so.

Another cat owner here, and late dog owner. B's children and dog were in their own garden 'going about their lawful business'. A's cat is lawfully entitled to roam but B has done nothing wrong here. If A does not have savings to pay for the unexpected vet bills that come with having a pet, A should have insured her cat.

It's no one's 'fault'.

The cat owner is responsible for paying for any injuries her cat has.

Def not CF!

billybagpuss I thought you said “independent wankers”

Thanks for the replies pleased to see that everyone thinks the same and that Cat owner is being unreasonable. A wanted my opinion as she was sure she was in the right by saying she wasn’t going to pay but because B has caused such a scene about it she did start thinking for a second she was in the wrong. I will give her a text now and let her know that Mumsnet think cat owner is Barmy!

Like a couple of other posters have said the cat could have injured itself out and about in someone else’s garden and gone limping home and she would not have been able to ask someone to pay her bill then, she is definitely trying it on because it happened basically on her doorstep.

Still curtain twitching as Cat Mumma is known not to play nicely in the street and always has something to moan about.

Cat owner neighbour is mad.

I'm guessing they also don't have insurance hence trying to palm it off onto the dog owner.

@DrinkFeckArseGirls

billybagpuss I thought you said “independent wankers”

Oh yes that too 😂

Not As responsibility. This is what insurance is for.

Both neighbours should have pet insurance so the insurance should pay out.

Cats roam and tbh it could have been anyone’s dog that had barked. She chooses to let her cat out so it’s a risk she takes.