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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

My dog bit a cat 😪

982 replies

Bluetoybear · 08/07/2021 18:00

Please be kind as I am so stressed over this.. name changed for this SadI 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 legSad. 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.

OP posts:
PinkSparklyPussyCat · 09/07/2021 09:02

if your dog bit a cat and it has awful injuries why wouldn't you pay!
Personally, I think your dog should be put down. This is why I hate dogs, they bite. Last August a dog killed my sleeping cat and the dog was put down. I hope the neighbours report your dog to the relevant authority

Not if the cat went into the dogs garden! If a dog got into my garden and killed my cat then I would do everything I could to make sure it was at least removed from the owner, the same as I would if the cat was outside and the dog wasn't on a lead and went for the cat. If the cat when into the dog's garden it's different unfortunately.

MyMabel · 09/07/2021 09:11

@Sillawithans

I suspect your cat killed birds/mice/rodents that came into your garden too. Should it have been out down for that?

anon12345678901 · 09/07/2021 09:13

[quote Trinacham]@FlyingPandas I haven't read the whole thread so didn't know about (B)
@anon12345678901 Was just saying that is what I would do, if I was the dog owner and they were good neighbours on good terms. He does not sound like one so I would not pay him. I don't let my cats out for reasons like this. It just isn't safe.[/quote]
I understand, maybe if the neighbour was a close neighbour (if that makes sense, not in distance, but kind of friendship), then I would maybe offer 50/50. But I agree he does not sound like a good neighbour and I would be quite intimidated if someone was banging on my door aggressively :( I think if I had a cat, I would do the same as you, I've known a few indoor cats and they aren't missing out by not going outside, they are very happy, and it is much safer.

ThanksIGotItInMorrisons · 09/07/2021 09:34

DO NOT PAY A PENNY
their cat their problem. Cat shouldn’t have been in your property. Your dog was in its home. Cat wandered into his space. You are not responsible. If cats are
Allowed to wander about without their owner then that is the owners problem. Let him
Waste money suing or whatever. This is NOT your responsibility.

PinkSparklyPussyCat · 09/07/2021 09:35

We cat proofed the garden to stop anything happening to our cat. It would be cruel to keep him as an indoor cat (and I don't want the doors and windows shut all the time!) but at least I know it's safe. The only worry I had was when our old neighbours got a bastard Jack Russell that used to get into peoples' gardens as I was worried if it got into ours somehow the cat would be a sitting target.

Thankfully it never happened but the stupid thing would have been off to the dog warden if it did!

SlothMama · 09/07/2021 09:35

The dog was in a secure garden, you are not at fault at all. What would the owner do if another cat attacked it? Chase after that owner?

It's part of having an outdoor cat at the end of the day, he should have insured it.

Salanda · 09/07/2021 09:49

Hi @Bluetoybear. A family member’s dog killed a cat in a similar situation. It was awful for everyone. The cat owners reported the dog owners to police. Police came round and basically said to dog owners that cats aren’t viewed as property, no evidence dog is dangerous or a risk to humans, so nothing they would do. The police can take action if the dog was ‘out of control’ (it wasn’t in this case - it was on their property).

It’s a risk that you take with cats unfortunately, and their cat wandered into your garden.

Branleuse · 09/07/2021 09:49

The fact that they were being abusive about it now would mean theyd lost any goodwill from me to helping them out with the bill. They should have pet insurance really if they cant afford to stump up vets bills and have outdoor cats

Salanda · 09/07/2021 09:51

[quote MyMabel]**@Sillawithans

I suspect your cat killed birds/mice/rodents that came into your garden too. Should it have been out down for that?[/quote]
@MyMabel @Sillawithans Or, as an analogy with what’s happened to the OP. If your neighbour’s pet hamster/rat/rabbit wanders from their garden into yours and your cat bites it, your cat is liable/should be put down? Come on!

Sunny4876 · 09/07/2021 10:04

I'm a cat owner and certainly wouldn't expect you to pay,your dog was in his own garden,the cat was the trespasser.

mightbealittlebitmad · 09/07/2021 10:22

As a free roaming cat owner it's a risk we take letting them out unsupervised. I wouldn't be blaming a dog or it's owner if my cat got attacked because it was in the dogs garden.

A dog is a predator and many will attack something small and furry just like my cat will hunt mice.

If I had a cat who couldn't get out of my garden and someone's escaped rabbit somehow got in and my cat killed it I would not be taking responsibility nor would I assume my cat was some savage who couldn't be trusted around people.

Don't pay anything, it's not your fault, it's theirs for letting their cat out. We know the risks and we just cross our fingers our cats will be fine but unfortunately sometimes they aren't and we have to deal with it.

Angell78 · 09/07/2021 10:38

My dog is not cat friendly and when my neighbours bought cats I made it very clear to them that I couldn’t be held responsible for what might happen to them if they got into the garden, (dog was here before the cats anyway) thankfully no incidents despite the cats occasionally venturing in, but I agree you shouldn’t be held responsible within your own garden, very different if you are out and didn’t have the dog under control but you cannot be expected to pay the bill in this situation, that should be on their insurance.

hawkehurstgang · 09/07/2021 10:46

I woukd pay absolutely nothing.

Nobody is going to care at ALL about a dog biting a cat, let alone when that cat entered the dog owner's garden! Nothing will happen.

Ivyiris · 09/07/2021 11:06

It would be different if you were walking the dog and it bit but the cat did go into the dogs garden, I don't think it's your responsibility to pay. Sad situation but your dog likely protecting it's territory.

Ivyiris · 09/07/2021 11:08

Also if your neighbour continues to come and threaten you I would get police involved. He sounds like he's trying to intimidate you. Hope your ok op.

SteveArnottsWaistcoat · 09/07/2021 11:10

Tell him to fuck off.

It’s absolutely NOT your fault.

Hope the cat is ok and you’re not too stressed. It’s an unfortunate situation, but not one that is your problem.

BooksChocolateAndSleep · 09/07/2021 11:11

@Bluetoybear I hope you're ok today. Please do not let the bully of a neighbour upset you. I hope your husband can have a word with him.

Your little dog did nothing wrong, please don't answer the door to the neighbour or pay anything towards the cats treatment. Their cat should be insured and they need to claim through that. x

IntermittentParps · 09/07/2021 11:11

The fact that they were being abusive about it now would mean theyd lost any goodwill from me to helping them out with the bill.

Me too. If he or they both had come round and wanted to talk in a calm way, I might have listened. But the way he's acted, they can fuck off. And do call the police if he harasses you again.

bellabasset · 09/07/2021 11:42

I'm so sorry for you this has happened. I hope the cat will recover soon. But if you want a cat to be safe then you need to cat proof your garden so they can't wander. I might cat proof the fence between your garden and the neighbour's garden.

I think you're right to look at the legal cover on your dog's insurance policy, household policies often have legal cover. I wouldn't want to get into a neighbourly dispute over this so I'd get advice before making any response to them. I hope by the time your dh has returned they will have calmed down.

HermioneKipper · 09/07/2021 11:46

I’d say pay nothing and I say this as a cat owner.
If your dog had got into their garden or was loose/out of control on the street then it would be a different story. Your dog was in its own garden and had every right to be there. The cat should’ve known better. And these people should have cat insurance. They sound horrible.

Don’t pay them a single penny.

Hope you feel better soon Flowers

thereisnophalange · 09/07/2021 11:47

[quote noirchatsdeux]@summerfun12 I think dogs are vile, and if one seriously injured my cat, it wouldn't be biting anything ever again.[/quote]
I think you sound vile.
OPs dog didn't do anything 'wrong', it was just acting on instinct .
If you went and purposefully harmed an animal to teach it a lesson for hurting your cat, that's called abuse and would land you in a whole heap of trouble.

Enough4me · 09/07/2021 11:48

I'm a cat owner. If a cat owner does not want to risk their cat getting injured through going up to other animals, the owner has to keep their cat in.

I had bills for cat fights with a previous cat who was a wimp but wanted to roam. I paid the bills - I couldn't ask my neighbours to pay for their stronger cats!

thereisnophalange · 09/07/2021 11:48

@emilylily

I would definitely pay as the alternative might be your dog being put to sleep if considered to be a dangerous dog.
You're serious, aren't you 🤣
Motnight · 09/07/2021 11:58

Op hope you're feeling a little better today.

I am a cat owner and a cat lover. A cat being injured whilst freely out and about is a risk owners take. My cats went through a stage of being in fights with a brute of another cat. It was my responsibility as owner to pay the veterinary bills.

There's some quite unpleasant posts on here.

overnightangel · 09/07/2021 12:02

@Summersun2020

For clarity, I’m a cat owner and love my cat. I really don’t think you’re responsible for this at all. Awful for everyone involved, but just one of those things. Cats will roam, dogs will chase them-cats are usually quick enough to get away. Don’t feel bad op Flowers I do hope the cat recovers.
This , basically. I’m a cat person and not really keen on dogs at all…. But the cat was in your garden, and your dog is allowed to roam free in your garden. They’re being arseholes