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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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:
PraiseBee · 09/07/2021 15:26

This thread is FASCINATING and enlightening on how people view their pets. Lots of people have reacted in a way that makes me think that some people think cats are cute teddy bears and it's totally ok for cats to go on other people's property. Cats are apex predictors. If a cat was bigger than a dog they would attack and kill it. Cats will think their owners look fairly delicious too just too damn big. Cats are predatory animals, the pet trespassed and the dog reacted like the territorial predator it is. It's a shame but if you let your cats roam is what might happen. Not your fault. Your neighbour is bully (based on the bin incident too).

DynamoKev · 09/07/2021 15:26

@Sillawithans

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.
Personally, I think your dog should be put down. Nasty and uncalled for. This is why I hate dogs, they bite. But Cats bite too?
PoorPawsPickPawpaws · 09/07/2021 15:27

A well behaved dog would not just bite a cat, but that doesn't mean you need to pay all their vets bills.

This is my pet hate (pun intended).

The idea that dogs are mythical creatures without instincts of their own and that any dog that does not fit with a human-preferred behaviour must be a bad dog or must be badly behaved.

Dogs hunt. That is their instinct. Some dogs hunt more than others or perform PART of the hunt ritual more than others, because the instinct has been left intact or deliberately strengthened through years of breeding. Some dogs can be socialised with cats and learn not to chase them. Others cannot either through opportunity or because the instinct to chase them is too strong. Some can learn to leave alone a specific cat but will not apply that same rule to all cats (dogs are not great at taking a rule about one thing and applying it to anything similar, aka generalising).

We take terriers, breed them for generations to kill small, quick moving furry things then tell them they are bad dogs for biting a cat. We take sight hounds and breed them for generations to chase other animals then label them bad for chasing a cat. We take guardian breeds and breed them for generations to only every trust the speific animals they grew up with then call them a bad dog for chasing a strange cat.

No one labels a cat as a bad cat for killing a bird. No one labels a horse a bad horse for kicking out at the personw alking too close behind them. Or a fish as being a bad fish for jumping out of its tank when spooked.

The expectation put upon dogs to be something other than they are is unfair to them and denial on the part of the humans.

sunglassesonthetable · 09/07/2021 15:29

*Technically, you are responsible if it can be proved your dog was out of control or that you were negligent in not restraining it.

And yes, you could be held liable for the vet's bills in a Civil Court action.
I am very sorry for you though, just quoting some facts.
I just wondered how anyone KNOWS it was our dog attacking this cat.
Was it witnessed? Did you fail to prevent this happening?*

Ok did you RTFT? @Funguy

BeachPicture · 09/07/2021 15:29

Your neighbour is a twat and if you had called the police as you were home alone and scared that would have been justified.
The cat knew you had a dog, it jumped the fence, not your dogs fault and dog people wouldn’t care.
I hope your DH let’s rip at your neighbour, don’t pay a penny and retract the paying for half offer how they have harassed you.
Free roaming cat this is the risk you take sadly.

Phantasmo · 09/07/2021 15:29

Well said, @PoorPawsPickPawpaws. Some people are totally clueless.

PoorPawsPickPawpaws · 09/07/2021 15:32

but your dog isn’t safe to be off leash in public spaces or around small children

... if small children dress up in fur, run around on all fours and smell like a cat... Grin

Coulddowithanap · 09/07/2021 15:32

@Funguy

Technically, you are responsible if it can be proved your dog was out of control or that you were negligent in not restraining it.

And yes, you could be held liable for the vet's bills in a Civil Court action.
I am very sorry for you though, just quoting some facts.
I just wondered how anyone KNOWS it was our dog attacking this cat.
Was it witnessed? Did you fail to prevent this happening?

This is a load of rubbish. It happened in your garden not out in a public area where your dog should be kept under control.
VariantL1130 · 09/07/2021 15:33

OP can I suggest that if your neighbour starts banging on the door again and acting aggressively that you log it with the police?

UtterlyUnimaginativeUsername · 09/07/2021 15:35

Your neighbour is bullying you. Don't engage if he's upsetting you, let your husband deal with it calmly. Don't offer any payment, your dog was safely confined to your garden and the cat wandered in.

It's very unfortunate, but not at all your fault (and I'm speaking as a cat person).

DynamoKev · 09/07/2021 15:39

@Funguy

Technically, you are responsible if it can be proved your dog was out of control or that you were negligent in not restraining it.

And yes, you could be held liable for the vet's bills in a Civil Court action.
I am very sorry for you though, just quoting some facts.
I just wondered how anyone KNOWS it was our dog attacking this cat.
Was it witnessed? Did you fail to prevent this happening?

This is utter tripe just quoting some facts. No you aren't
SchadenfreudePersonified · 09/07/2021 15:42

@MissMaple82

Actually you could very well find yourself in trouble under the dangerous dogs act. The dog is considered to be out of control of it harms anyone or any animal even on your own property. I lost my cat due to a dog attack under the same circumstances and I regret not going ahead and pressing charges.
Don't talk shite!
GaspGulpScream · 09/07/2021 15:47

Poor cat but not your fault

RedToothBrush · 09/07/2021 15:48

OP's dog should be put down and the cat owners prosecuted for not looking after its welfare properly.

Cat shouldn't be allowed to roam but any dog that acts like that would also give me real cause for concern.

Plenty of places in the world have legal requirements that say that a cat should not roam freely because of the harm they do. I would love it to be extended to the UK as they are an utter menace and nuisance.

However I don't think the OP should pay the bill nor do I think there are grounds to sue.

30degreesandmeltinghere · 09/07/2021 15:50

My ddogs love our dcats. Wouldn't hold out much hope for a dcat getting into our garden tbh...
Your ndn is bonkers.

caringcarer · 09/07/2021 15:50

I have 5 cats and 2 dogs and if a strange cat came into our garden, very unlikely one of my cats that is vicious would attack it. My dogs would bark and have fun chasing it but not bite it. I accept of one of my cats wonders into a garden with dogs they could get bitten. Not your fault OP.

SirVixofVixHall · 09/07/2021 15:51

I am of course very sorry that the cat has been injured and hope it recovers well.
However this is not your fault OP ! Outrageous of the cat owner to complain that your dog injured his cat, when your dog was secure in your garden and his cat was the one roaming free.
Would he be hammering on the door of someone with a car if his cat had run into the path of it ? Most dogs will chase cats and many dogs will also injure cats. If your cat roams free then there is always a risk that it will get hurt or killed by dogs, foxes or cars.
He should have pet insurance for just such an eventuality. This is not your fault or your problem. In your place I would be upset and worried about the cat, probably take flowers round or something, but even that is not necessary. He is being absolutely ridiculous. Tell him to call the police because they will put him straight.

SchadenfreudePersonified · 09/07/2021 15:52

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.

What "relevant authority"?

Many people hate cats - they kill wildlife, in particular fledgeling birds. That doesn't mean they should all be put down.

Where was your cat? Asleep in your home or garden - totally the dog owner's fault.

Asleep outdoors, or in the dog owner's garden? Not the dog owner's responsibility.

If you have a cat, and you allow it to roam, you have to accept that it might get attacked by a dog, run over, into a fight with another cat ,or whatever.

Bluedeblue · 09/07/2021 15:55

Lots of dogs have a high prey drive. My Husky would have eaten a cat if she had ever been quick enough to catch one. Your dog was inside your garden. The cat came in to its territory. DO. NOT. PAY. A. PENNY.

SchadenfreudePersonified · 09/07/2021 15:55

any dog that acts like that would also give me real cause for concern

What - acts like a dog?

The odds are that the cat darted in front of the dog, startled it, and the dog automatically chased it. The way cats automatically chase birds and small rodents.

It's nature's way.

JustCallMeBubblesDahling · 09/07/2021 15:56

Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 (as amended 1997)
The DDA prohibits certain types of dogs and allowing a dog of any type to be dangerously out of control in a public place or a private place where it is not allowed to be.The law also provides for such dogs to be seized.

Quick google brought this up as top result. The private place it is not allowed to be presumably refers to private gardens but as OPs dog was allowed to be in its own garden, this would not apply.

Some posters really should check on what they’re posting before they post shiteHmm.

EerieSilence · 09/07/2021 15:57

I'm a cat and a dog owner.
Both (well, all three) are micromanaged because the cats are jerks and hate dogs and don't hesitate to take a swipe at her.
I would never ever blame a dog if one of my cats got bitten when in their garden.
The dog was in his own garden, an enclosed property, the cat was essentially trespassing. You don't own the neighbour a penny and if he insists on paying the whole bill, I would suggest you don't give him anything. He's in the wrong.
This is the risk of free-roaming cats - and mine have been free roaming for years. I am aware of the risks for them but I know that they would take the house apart if I kept them indoors so I just get on with that.
I didn't expect the owner of the ginger arsehole to pay for the injuries caused in a fight to my tomcat (the other one didn't look any better) because it was my cat, it happened outside, that's life. I would laugh the owner of the other cat out of the door, had they come to me and asked for me to pay their bill.

Ignore the guy, he can't do anything. Just to make sure you are covered, call the police or go to the local police station and report what happened and that the cat owner is now threatening you and disturbing you in your own home.

SchadenfreudePersonified · 09/07/2021 15:58

@PoorPawsPickPawpaws

but your dog isn’t safe to be off leash in public spaces or around small children

... if small children dress up in fur, run around on all fours and smell like a cat... Grin

And jump off the fence in front of the dog, startling it, and then scuttle across the garden . . .
1WayOrAnother2 · 09/07/2021 15:59

OP though it might seem sweet and lovely, the cat came into your garden for a reason... if there had been something it could have killed or injured, it (probably) would have. It is is a hunter (even when not hungry).

The dog is sweet and lovely to you. It is also (in its own head) the defender of your lives and property. It will bark - chase - and bite- in order to do its duty. Dogs have been bred to do this.

Bluedeblue · 09/07/2021 16:00

Sillawithans

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

Don't be so ridiculous. If a man broke in to your garden or home, you would be within your rights to defend yourself. The dog was defending his territory.

Animals have instincts. I bet your cat killed a few birds and mice in their time. It is what it is.