Cats are adventurous animals that care little about the laws of man; they go where they please, when they please, but their habits can have very expensive consequences for their masters. Case in point, a cat owner from France’s Hérault region was shocked to learn of a complaint filed by her neighbor about the cat’s frequent comings and goings on their property. In their complaint, the neighbor, whose name has not been disclosed, mentioned paw prints on the stucco, urine on a duvet, and feces in the garden as damage caused by the ginger cat, Remy. Back in January, a court sided with the plaintiff and fined the cat’s owner, Dominique, €1,250, with additional penalties should the cat cross the fence again.
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“When I received notification of the conviction, it was as if I had been violently struck on the head,” Dominique told French newspaper Le Parisien. “Since the verdict, I’ve kept Rémi at home. He’s gained weight and become aggressive. I can’t even put him in my garden for fear he’ll jump the fence. It’s as if he’s been sentenced to house arrest, a kind of imprisonment and a double punishment.”
The 70-year-old cat owner points out that the neighbor couldn’t prove that Remy had been guilty of trespassing when there are other cats, some stray, in the neighborhood, but the judge didn’t seem to care. Unfortunately, the story is far from over, as Dominque has been summoned to court again this coming December. Apparently, Remy crossed the infamous fence and could cost his owner an extra €2,000 ($2,300) fine and a daily penalty of €150 ($172).
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The unusual legal battle attracted the attention of French animal rights groups, many of which believe that the court’s decision infringes on the rights of cats, because they have this natural instinct to explore their surroundings.
Last year, we wrote about the similar case of a French couple sued by their neighbor because their pet rooster crowed too loudly.
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