I wasn't sure where else to put this, but what's the exact role of owners for cat-caused damages?

Zigner said:
You sure do ask a lot of hypothetical questions.
Please have one of the involved parties log on to ask their own questions.
Click to expand...
I could try, not sure how.
welkin said:
What possible damages are you speaking of? Digging in the garden, pooping on the property, eating some grass, scratching a tree trunk or the house, killing a mouse or squirrel or chipmunk, exactly what could this cat do to cause property damage that can't be fixed with a rake in the garden?

Outdoor cats can and do wounder before returning to home. But I don't see anything that would warrant a lawsuit. So, what damage are you speaking of?
Click to expand...
Damage such as rigging a rain gutter, tearing a hole in a gazebo screen, cutting a pool filter.
zddoodah said:
What an odd way of writing.

A owns a cat. A's cat caused damage to B's property. That's it, right?

Expectations? Who cares?

Does A have legal liability? Maybe. If you want to provide details about what happened, we can provide some feedback.
Click to expand...
Sorry, English is not my most fluent language. I also phrased it how I did not knowing if I was speaking of what would end up being a criminal or civil matter.
Red Kayak said:
I concur, but perhaps OP is one of those people who are offended by the idea of calling domesticated animals property.

At least, that is what I assumed was the case.

However, it is possible that "Person A" is just feeding a feral cat, and therefore is just "associating" with the cat.

Perhaps OP will return and clarify.
Click to expand...
There are many kinds of pets where one would say ownership is relative or gradient. If I get visited by stray cats on a daily basis who know I'd give them some food on their daily walks, there are many who would debate the semantics of whether they're "my" cat, which you alluded to. Moreso if I regularly let the cat into my home or do things with it. You could do this on a number of levels of "ownership". Hence how I phrased it. I didn't know what fine line to anticipate.
 
TheRealLegoIslander said:
Sorry, English is not my most fluent language. I also phrased it how I did not knowing if I was speaking of what would end up being a criminal or civil matter.
Click to expand...

Nifty.

Does A own the cat or not?

What are the relevant facts? What did the cat do to B's property? What was the property? Describe the damages and the cost of repair. What evidence exists that the cat in question caused the damage?
 
 
stealthy1 said:
What proof is there that a specific cat caused said damage?
Click to expand...
There's always cameras. Family and friends keep those up at all time. And all the cats here have identifying accessories, I often have to go so far as to airbrush out collars when it comes to pictures of pets I've taken because they contain things like phone numbers in case the pet wanders off.
zddoodah said:
Nifty.

Does A own the cat or not?

What are the relevant facts? What did the cat do to B's property? What was the property? Describe the damages and the cost of repair. What evidence exists that the cat in question caused the damage?
Click to expand...
justblue said:
As the owner of 5 cats, 3 of which adopted us, once you feed/water them daily, name them and take 'em to the vet when sick/injured...they are your cats.
Click to expand...
^ Yes. A owns the cat. I have a vague idea in my mind of how much damage happened to B's property, but I would imagine at least a few hundred dollars would be at stake. Some things I've found out are more expensive than they first appear, for example even a gazebo canopy screen can be at least fifty dollars, and a filtration system at least a few hundred. These are all things my friend for one has possessed before they were whisked away for not being good enough to use anymore, once a yard where every unique object had an average worth of fifty dollars.
 
TheRealLegoIslander said:
Damage such as rigging a rain gutter, tearing a hole in a gazebo screen, cutting a pool filter.
Click to expand...
I understand that English is not your first language. The word rigging, in rigging a rain gutter, does not make any sense. So perhaps you could be more specific about what you think the cat did to a rain gutter or did the cat do something to the downspout of the rain gutter. The word rigging is a noun not a verb. Rigging is a thing, not an action.

I can see how a cat could tear a hole in a synthetic (not metal) screen.

Cutting a pool filter is also something I don't understand. If you mean that a hose or pipe was damaged by a cat, I will find that hard to believe. Cats are carnivores, they eat meat. The 4 long teeth in the front of a cat's jaw are called canines (2 on top and 2 on the bottom) and the little teeth in between the canines are incisors and are not much use hunting or chewing food. They are mostly used to pick things up and for grooming. The idea that a cat could chew through something is hard to believe.

On the other hand, a rodent, a squirrel, a chipmunk, a rat, or a mouse has incisors that are capable of chewing through just about anything that isn't metal.
TheRealLegoIslander said:
There's always cameras.
Click to expand...
If you have video of your cat doing damage, I think you should post it.
 
One last time...

What did the cat do to B's property? What evidence exists that the cat in question (as opposed to some other cat or other animal) caused the damage?


welkin said:
If you mean that a hose or pipe was damaged by a cat, I will find that hard to believe. . . . The idea that a cat could chew through something is hard to believe.
Click to expand...

Ever had cats? They chew through things all the time. Pipes? No, but no one who has ever owned a cat would find it hard to believe that a cat chewed through a hose.
 
zddoodah said:
One last time...

What did the cat do to B's property? What evidence exists that the cat in question (as opposed to some other cat or other animal) caused the damage?




Ever had cats? They chew through things all the time. Pipes? No, but no one who has ever owned a cat would find it hard to believe that a cat chewed through a hose.
Click to expand...
You say that like I didn't specify damaged objects (pool filter? screen doors?), or that it would be known by a cat's accessories and camera footage whose it is. I answered those particular questions.

Also worth noting that, in the cat-owning community, it's a tongue-in-cheek disobeyed hard rule (in other words, people encourage the rule strongly enough they'll claim to ghost each other over not following it, but people disobey it covertly, especially as it's considered more "urban wisdom") that cats aren't supposed to be let outdoors even if by their own discretion, as it's a dice roll if anything will happen to the cat and as half of the things it goes to the vet for are related to its outdoor misadventures.

welkin said:
I understand that English is not your first language. The word rigging, in rigging a rain gutter, does not make any sense. So perhaps you could be more specific about what you think the cat did to a rain gutter or did the cat do something to the downspout of the rain gutter. The word rigging is a noun not a verb. Rigging is a thing, not an action.

I can see how a cat could tear a hole in a synthetic (not metal) screen.

Cutting a pool filter is also something I don't understand. If you mean that a hose or pipe was damaged by a cat, I will find that hard to believe. Cats are carnivores, they eat meat. The 4 long teeth in the front of a cat's jaw are called canines (2 on top and 2 on the bottom) and the little teeth in between the canines are incisors and are not much use hunting or chewing food. They are mostly used to pick things up and for grooming. The idea that a cat could chew through something is hard to believe.

On the other hand, a rodent, a squirrel, a chipmunk, a rat, or a mouse has incisors that are capable of chewing through just about anything that isn't metal.

If you have video of your cat doing damage, I think you should post it.
Click to expand...

Replace the word "rigging" with "dislodging" in your mind then (and going back to the first person I was replying to, this should answer a question, you're looking at the answer). Outdoor wildlife, as you said, can also do damage, and that's one of the things that made me wonder the answer to the original question, though, like I said, video would be the separating factor here, which I imagine, if discussed hands-on, would have to be edited to not include identifiable characteristics since, as said, the cat and its owner in a situation like this can be narrowed down by these (as for transferring it from someone else's device, the mechanics of that are ambiguous to me).
 
TheRealLegoIslander said:
I answered those particular questions.
Click to expand...

You didn't. You said NOTHING before about how anyone knew what a specific animal did; this was the first post where you mentioned camera footage.

You are on a legal forum. What matters are what the local laws are, not opinions.

Just as you are responsible $-wise when your human kid damages your neighbor's property, so should you be responsible when your fur baby damages your neighbor's property.

No one replying to you has communicated any opinions about allowing pet cats outdoors.
Some places do have leash laws. Just like ignoring speed limits, you can ignore leash laws. But it's still legally enforceable if you get caught.
 
Red Kayak said:
You didn't. You said NOTHING before about how anyone knew what a specific animal did; this was the first post where you mentioned camera footage.

You are on a legal forum. What matters are what the local laws are, not opinions.

Just as you are responsible $-wise when your human kid damages your neighbor's property, so should you be responsible when your fur baby damages your neighbor's property.

No one replying to you has communicated any opinions about allowing pet cats outdoors.
Some places do have leash laws. Just like ignoring speed limits, you can ignore leash laws. But it's still legally enforceable if you get caught.
Click to expand...
I know this. I didn't think I'd get anyone upset, sorry.

I redirect you to my reply before the one you're replying to. First sentence I said after the quote. It wasn't the first instance.

I also never said or implied anyone said anything about cats having to be indoor cats, I was just saying as a side mention that there is a strong push against the existence of outdoor cats and I brought it up in anticipation that it might have some gravity.
 

Share this page

Get a free case review from a lawyer
Back
Top