My dog bit a cat 😪

[Bluetoybear]

Please be kind as I am so stressed over this.. name changed for this I have a 7 year old dog which is only walked on a lead 3 times a day in local park and let out in my back garden throughout the day for a wee etc. My back garden has a 6 foot fence around it so my dog can't get out. Yesterday the neighbours cat jumped into my garden and my dog ran after it and bit it on its leg. My neighbour has taken the poor cat to the vets and has had a big vets bill for it and neighbours husband has came round at tea time demanding I pay it all. He was very vocal about it and said if I don't pay it he will 'sue/take me to court/get in touch with authority's saying my dog is dangerous etc. I am so worried as the cat has awful injuries. I have offered to pay half out of goodwill but neighbours telling me I need to pay all of the bill which I can't afford.

@Whyareblokesonhere

I don't think your husband should go round there. If anything happens/ escalates it will confuse matters. Also withdraw your going halves offer, no way is this on you, you can say that you offered out of kindness for the cat but now the husband has clearly tried to intimidate and harass you, the goodwill offer is withdrawn.

This in spades. ^ @Bluetoybear

Also, as @DeathByWalkies said

I'd honestly be tempted to call the police myself and...

a) get my side of the story in first, before they come up with some unhinged version of the truth.

b) log the harassment in case it starts to escalate...

I said this too. (And a few others have!) Ring the police! Now.

@ZooKeeper19

Cat owner and dog lover here. Their cat was on your property. Not your problem. This is why cats should not be allowed outside and if they are, it's the cat owner's problem. Your dog was not out of control and will not have any trouble from anyone they call. I am sorry for what happened. I hope you feel better but honesty the cat was daft and got injured because of this. I have 2 cats and will never let them out, never. I love them too much. Case closed.

Please do make yourself good strong cuppa and pat your poor pooch, it was NOT his fault and he can feel you are upset, please tell him you are not upset with him. It's natural instinct.

I am sure you love your cats, but please don't try and make out you love them more than people who let them outside, (just because you keep your cats in.)

Some may say it's wrong (and even cruel,) to keep cats inside permanently, but they wouldn't say they love their cats more than you love yours, because they let them roam free outside.

Tell him you will be counter suing for the trespass in your garden by their dcat..
They are Cfers and you need to ignore them.
Bet they change their tune when your dh gets back.

There’s only one aggressive animal on the loose and it’s your neighbour.

@GreyhoundG1rl

because if she does have 3rd party and the neighbour tries to sue the insurers would handle it all with shit hot lawyers. The OP wouldn't have to do a thing. She doesn't need a team of shit hot lawyers because she's not liable.

but that's the point - the insurers would clearly state that to the neighbours - the OP can leave it in their hands - just as she would be able to if there was a car accident that she was not responsible for - eg someone smashing into her parked car. The reason we have insurance is for situations like this. Some unreasonable twat tries to make out it's your responsibility for something - the insurers sort it.

I had someone go into the back of me when I was a new driver - tried to convince me it was my fault, very aggressive. The insurers just dealt with it and told me that I should just repeat "it's in the hands of my insurers".

I would ring the Police is he comes around threatening you again. I have cats and dogs and wouldn't pay a penny. You are not liable

@OnTheBoardwalk

If my nob head neighbours dog who they let run up and down the street (I’ve had complaints from delivery drivers about it) attacked my cat in my front open garden I’d absolutely expect them to pay. They know letting it off the lead is dangerous for any kids or cats about

My cat going into any other garden then it’s down to me to pay. If she goes outside the garden she does so at her risk and my liability. She takes that chance when she goes into nice neighbours garden who has a water pistol. Think they both sort of enjoy it

Tell him to go through his insurance. If they’ve got any questions tell his insurance company to contact you directly and you'll give them your insurance details. Don’t give them to him

This exactly. We also have knobhead neighbours and I hope that one day the dog warden takes the dog - I bet my annual salary they haven't bothered microchipping it.

If a cat comes into your garden and is bit by your dog then you are NOT liable. Cats are classed as 'wild', there have been similar cases. Tell the neighbours not to let the cat out if they are worried about it and do not pay a penny

Bluetoybear How is your dog?

Please give him a good check over for scratches or bites.
Cat bites are even dirtier than dog bites, if he has broken skin it will be a visit to the vets for antibiotics.

Your dog was on your property, you have no liability here.

@summerfun12 I think dogs are vile, and if one seriously injured my cat, it wouldn't be biting anything ever again!

Dogs aren't vile.

And cats aren't total innocents when t comes to killing or injuring other animals. One of my darling little buggers slaughtered a neighbour's guinea pig. Like the OP who started this thread, I was heartbroken that someone's pet had been killed and apologised and offered to replace it (they declined, and said it was one of those things but they couldn't replace him).

All animals are just that - animals. They follow their instincts and you can't blame them for that.

Seriously, why is this your fault, cats bite mice/birds, and dogs(notch friendly one) if given the chance will bite a cat. Tell the neighbour to do one, and keep his cat at home.

Your dog insurance, and your house insurance both provide cover for public liability.
In your circs, I would not admit liability and tell them you have passed it to your insurers.
The insurers will send them a standard letter telling them that you have not been negligent and there is no liability.
I'm sure you do feel terrible but that's what happens when cats wander.

OP I hope you get some sleep and knobhead neighbour buggers off to give you some peace tonight.
I agree with the majority of posters, absolutely not your fault, I hope you and your DH manage to get the situation resolved with your arsehole neighbour.

Don't pay a penny! Good grief. Their cat was in your garden, so not your problem at all. The police won't be remotely interested. Google it, you're not liable. If your dog had gone into the cat's garden, different ball game.

I have 2 cats and they are indoor/outdoor. If this happened to my cats I would never blame the dog, I'd blame my cat. And then use the pet insurance I have for MY pet to pay MY vet bill. Tell him to wind his neck in. Arse.

Dogs are not vile and this is not your fault.

Your neighbour is behaving like an aggressive twat.

Emotions are high, everyone should
Sleep on it and discuss calmly tomorrow.

I hope you can get some rest.

Their cat was in your garden, of course a dog will chase and possibly hurt a cat. Offering to pay half is more than generous

I don't think your husband should go round there. If anything happens/ escalates it will confuse matters. Also withdraw your going halves offer, no way is this on you, you can say that you offered out of kindness for the cat but now the husband has clearly tried to intimidate and harass you, the goodwill offer is withdrawn.

This. I wouldn't contribute a penny. It's not like they'll appreciate it. Save the money for if/when they file a pointless small claims case.

I love cats, I have two. They go out - they're out right now - but luckily mainly stay confined to our garden. If one came back injured I wouldn't be looking for someone to blame. It's a risk you take.

We have had a similar situation but we're the cat owners and the dog came into our garden and attacked our cat. Even in those circumstances, most advice I found said the most we could do was try and get the money at small claims court but that we may not be successful. The owners of the dog paid us a small amount - nowhere near half and our insurance paid some but we were left with a hefty bill. I don't think there's a lot they can do, OP. I think you're being very generous offering to pay half in your circumstances.

Please call the police if the neighbour comes back. You, and your dog, have done nothing wrong. Your insurance should have third party liability as standard but I'm pretty sure they'll dispute their claim based on it happening on your property. I hope you're okay .

It's not your responsibility as others have said.

Don't pay anything and don't claim on your insurance - your premium will go up!

I have 3 dogs and 3 cats - all 3 dogs are lovely and clearly used to cats but would probably still injure a strange cat that entered their garden. That's dogs for you!

The cat came into your garden.

Not your bill to pay. I wouldn't pay a penny.

Also the dog warden / police etc won't be interested. You won't get into trouble.

@cadburyegg

YANBU. I’m a cat owner, if my neighbours’ dog bit my cat and they offered to pay half, I would find that exceedingly generous. My cat is insured though.

However, I would check with your insurance because a lot of dog insurance does cover events like this.

You would also be wise to ensure this doesn’t happen again, either by muzzling your dog when it’s in the garden or supervising it.

Muzzle a dog who is alone in their own secure garden? Are you fucking mental?

You are 100% NOT responsible here OP, your dog was secure in your private garden. This is the risk that people take with outdoor cats, not your problem.

We have two cats and last year a dog came into our house (hot day, Australian house, all sliding doors open) and attacked our cats. I think he would have killed one of them if I hadn’t stopped him. He had jumped his fence at his house and wandered up the street.

We didn’t know who he belonged to and city council did take him away and we were told we could prosecute but ultimately didn’t. The owner was massively apologetic, she wasn’t allowed the dog back until the yard was examined and she did pay both cats’ bills. They were fine although I was obviously frantic with worry about them. Our 7 year son had marks on his arms where he’d tried to stop the cat being attacked by lifting it up.

Your neighbour hasn’t got a leg to stand on - his cat moved onto your property where your dog was secured. Don’t let him bully you