Being told to pay vet bill

[majesticallycurvy]

Long story short, we accidentally hit a cat through no fault of ours and the cat unfortunately passed away. We offered our condolences to the owners and are sorry for their loss, but they are hounding us to pay their vet bill.

It's a no from us but we're being slandered over it...

Wwyd?

I’m guessing the OP did the responsible thing of having the cat scanned for a chip, and then went to their house to inform them and apologise. Or she asked around the houses near where she hit the car and someone recognised it and told her where the owners live. So they got her on their door cam when she went to tell them.

Have you seen how quickly cats dive out onto the road from between parked cars or from a hedge? Ridiculous comment! (And I have two cats of my own)

I wouldn’t be paying a thing after the way they’ve behaved. They sound awful. That’s the risk you take when you let your cats roam.

And? We were on a road where the speed limit was 60mph when a cat ran straight out...

Did you contact the admin of the Facebook group and asl for the post to be taken down? Most groups don't allow posting photographs of people and don't like getting involved in these kind of disputes. You can also report directly to Facebook

Absolutely not.

I hit and killed a cat recently. I was only going about 15mph as I had just turned out my drive. It literally ran in front of my tyres and despite instantly slamming on my brakes, there was nothing I could do to avoid it.

Why would they make an insurance claim if the cat was dead?

Oh after reading they had shamed you online, I would not pay. It was an accident.

My cat was sadly knocked down and killed last year. The vet bill was covered by insurance and we got a pay out. Yanbu.

What did they say in the post? Surely all they could say is that you hit the cat and won’t pay the bill unless you were rude which I assume you weren’t

However, they put my image along with a defamatory post on the local community Facebook page (prior to asking for the money!) and sent rude direct messages so I blocked them. But it makes going out and about locally rather uncomfortable.

Apart from that being obviously outrageous and disgraceful, what are they actually hoping for? That all motor vehicles be banned nationwide, just so that they don't have to take any responsibility for letting their cat roam free?

That's the only possible solution there could be for an animal that will frequently wait and then dart right under the wheels of a car, even if it's going slowly. Not going to happen; they might as well try to get the rain banned so it can't ever spoil their barbecue.

I would definitely ask for it to be taken down .

They are grieving the death of a loved pet. Even if you did all you could to avoid it, I would pay out of kindness

We've lost cat like this.
Wouldn't dream of doing this.
Awful thing to happen to you

As well as the family
But just an accident

Do you know which veterinary practice dealt with the cat? If so, I would probably call in and pay something towards the bill. I would not have any contact with the owners, and I definitely wouldn't give them any money directly.

I think you may have missed the point of those who have said that - many of them cat lovers/owners themselves.

They are saying that all responsible cat owners should have insurance for their pets, if they can't/don't want to risk high vet bills relating to their cat being hit by a car.

By 'offering' to pay their insurance excess, they will have to admit that they never bothered getting insurance at all, yet still expect somebody else to pay for an accident almost certainly caused by and affecting their cat - thus their insurance excess, that OP could offer to pay, would amount to precisely £0 and so should also leave them in no doubt as to who is liable.

Did you read the update about their defamation of OP? Of course they are very sad; but that doesn't give them the right to libel innocent people in response.

They are responsible for their cat. I would decline payment.

They have full moral responsibility for their cat as well. Don’t let them make you feel guilty. They made a conscious choice that allowed their cat into the street.

Ah no, I missed that. I do still have sympathy for them but in that case sounds like it's gone too far for a gesture of good will.

For all the people saying it might be nice to pay half/pay the excess - not in this case, it would be rewarding bullying. OP, I'm sorry this has all happened to you, the accident must have been traumatic enough without horrible behaviour from the cats owners. Please don't pay a penny to them.

What speed do you suggest everyone drive then? Do you think 10 miles an hour would work?😅

Stay firm in saying no if they are acting like bullying pricks. It will all blow over in a day or so. I wouldn’t pay either. How much is the bill?

I wouldn't pay and if they are posting about it then they are the ones who are going to end up looking awful.

at first, my thoughts were although i'm not obliged by law, i'd offer something because i would feel bad about harming their pet BUT THEN i see they posted your photo on facebook and instantly im like NOPE!

I can just imagine the sort of social media posts.
I see them locally from time to time. Cat owners wanting to ‘name and shame’ drivers.
I do of course understand their hurt and sadness at the loss of their pet, but their outrage is less understandable.
I narrowly missed a cat which just shot out in front of my car. I wasn’t going fast, but I could not have stopped. I think it went between my wheels.
I would have been so upset if I had hit it.
I don’t think you are unreasonable not to pay the vet bill.
I hope this all blows over soon.