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.

Bold fail

@PoorPawsPickPawpaws

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.

Excellent post.

My brothers neighbours dogs broke through their fence, and killed my brothers dog. The police really didn't care about that so I can't see them doing anything about a cat that came into your garden

@RedToothBrush

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.

Christ.. you are so wrong on every level. Bless

@RedToothBrush

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.

OP's dog should be put down Ridiculous over reaction - thankfully you'd struggle to find a vet who would put down a healthy dog for being a dog.

@MissMaple82

If you're in the UK then you cannot press charges. Individuals do not have that power, nor even that choice, in the UK.
You report a crime, the police investigate (or sometimes dont) and then the procurator fiscal/crown prosecution service decide whether or not to proceed with charges. It isnt up to you.

You could report a crime and then say "please dont charge them, I've changed my mind" but the police and court can go ahead with the prosecution if they have he evidence and feel it is in the public interest. You can also beg them to prosecute and they can refuse if they feel it will not end in a conviction. Sometimes they give crime victims a choice, sometimes, but it is not what really happens in our system. If you're in America then it is a bit different.

@RedToothBrush

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.

Oh ffs, the dog should be put down for acting like a dog in its own garden?

I have a terrier and given half a chance it would kill any cat that came into the garden. Probably wouldn't be quick enough but he'd give it a go. And that's healthy normal terrier behaviour. Out of the house and he's on a lead.

@HJ91 Exactly how can this situation be prevented again? Make cat indoors only? Previous posters say don't pay on a legal basis

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

This shows how little you know about dogs!

I look after dogs for a living. At least 50% of them would chase and maul/kill a cat, given the opportunity.

Have you ever looked at dog rehoming websites, like Dogs Trust? Many adverts will say "no small furries", which means "this dog cannot be adopted by anyone who has cats/gerbils etc, as the dog will likely kill them".

Dogs are very territorial in their own domain. I look after many dogs, who are not territorial whatsoever when they are in my home, but it is a different kettle of fish when they are in their own home.

The cat invaded the dogs domain.

@Bonjourfern I think your sense of smell is off there love. The dog that killed my cat had been lined up with a foster family so vet wasn't taking any chances and it was put down. It was a stray dog so no history. I think it was the right call.

I am a cat owner.
Do not pay.
Their cat was in your garden. They have probably realised now why they should pay for insurance - it sounds like their cat isn't insured and they are hoping you will foot the bill.
Do not pay.

Hope you are feeling better OP.

Your neighbour is especially unreasonable for shouting at you when you are unwell and alone in the house. What a bully.

Your dog did its job - the cat overestimated its own agility and speed. Tough on the cat - but that is nature.

I think that you would know (after 7 years) if your dog was a danger to children/animals in the outside world.

@brushlaptop You have an astonishing amount of ignorance regarding dog behavior

As a cat owner I think you sound like a very lovely person, and I’d have been touched by your concern and your very generous offer to pay half of the bill.

@Bluedeblue your argument is ridiculous. If I kill a man that is in my garden then I'm going to prison. So yeah, your argument is ridiculous.

[quote Sillawithans]@Bluedeblue your argument is ridiculous. If I kill a man that is in my garden then I'm going to prison. So yeah, your argument is ridiculous.[/quote]
Haha are you actually using that as an example 😅😅

You are not responsible for the cat's injuries. If 6he neighbour is threatening or harassing you, contact the police.

@Sillawithans

No, your argument is ridiculous. This dog will not be put down, not for biting a cat that came into the dog's own garden. We dont use the same laws for dogs as we do for people. You're just wrong.

@EKGEMS I think we’ve established you’re approaching this from a standpoint of legal liability, and I’m approaching it from a moral ‘what would I do’ standpoint. So there’s no need to keep tagging me in your replies, please. I am not going to agree with you, you won’t agree with me, and that’s fine.

Also as previously mentioned, OP and neighbours could look at working together to cat proof either garden.

I don’t really think there’s anything more to add, as I have already answered the questions you have around my personal viewpoint. I’m also frankly tired of this conversation; OP has asked for views and she’s received them. But saying that, I hope you have a lovely weekend, and that OP and neighbours agree a way forward where both parties feel listened to.

TBH, people who would put a dog down or are saying it's dangerous because it bit a cat in his own territory (garden) are absolutely ridiculous.
If a dog jumped into my garden and started chasing my cat, I would be pissed off and chased the dog out and wouldn't hesitate to hit it if it meant protecting my cats' lives and well-being.
If my cat were injured in someone else's garden by the dog guarding their territory, I wouldn't say a word. The dog is protecting their own! It's in their nature! FFS people, get a grip.
And I certainly wouldn't pay a cent for a treatment of someone else's cat who was injured in my own secured garden by my dog.

@HJ91 - why should the OP cat-proof their garden? They don't have a cat.
They have no, zero, zilch moral, legal or any other responsibility for the well-being of a cat who came into their garden.

[quote Sillawithans]@Bonjourfern I think your sense of smell is off there love. The dog that killed my cat had been lined up with a foster family so vet wasn't taking any chances and it was put down. It was a stray dog so no history. I think it was the right call.[/quote]
You can't really compare your situation to the OPs then. Your cat wasn't on the stray dogs property.

[quote Sillawithans]@Bluedeblue your argument is ridiculous. If I kill a man that is in my garden then I'm going to prison. So yeah, your argument is ridiculous.[/quote]
But you are (presumably) a human and that would be killing another human - totally different - and depending on circumstances you might not got to jail anyway (not that it's in any way relevant).
Can't believe you are trying to equate normal dog behaviour with human now.

If I kill a man that is in my garden then I'm going to prison

@Bluetoybear

What will happen if they report me and dog to authority's?

This happened to me with my dog.

The police will turn up just to talk to you if they report it. This didn’t happen to me, because I offered immediately to pay the vet bill. It was my fault as the dog belonged to me. There was no question I wouldn’t pay it. It came to well over £1,000.

You must pay their bill, in all honesty. You must be responsible for your dog, which is capable of doing more damage than a cat.

I was devastated when the same happened, but you have to put it right.