Neighbors' dogs attacked our cat. Are we being too harsh?

[gate_pourri]

I agree with the others who have said it depends on the location of the attack. If the cat and dog where in your yard, I would ask your neighbor to pay. If the cat and dog where anywhere else (their yard, the street, etc.) I wouldn't.

To put it in perspective, if your cat was on the street, it could have been hit by a car. Would you expect the owner of the car to pay your vet bill?

Dogs go after Cats. It's animal instinct. If you let your cat out, you take a risk that they may get hurt or killed.

 

[Jool-e]

I was going to ask the same thing. I do know that when I was a kid we had a boxer in our fenced yard and a neighbors cat would come in our yard all the time. We even told the owners to do something b/c we couldn't always be there. And sure enough our boxer got the cat and there was no cat left. While I feel bad about the cat it was their owner's responsibility to make sure he didn't come in our yard especially after we talked to them about it. The neighbor did try to sue us but he didn't get very far.

I hope your kitty is ok and everything works out. I do know that if the dogs were in your yard I can see making them pay. As it is the owners of the pets to make sure they are being a responsible pet owner.

Yes, the dogs were on our property.

 

[Planogirl]

Dogs go after cats? True but the dogs should not have been out where they could go after cats. What if someone's child was outside, should the dog be able to go after the kid too?

I don't condone cats running free but somehow stating that the dogs were justified in attacking and hurting the cat is a bit over the top IMO.

Of course, right now we don't even know where the cat was...

 

[cheermom1]

Yes, the dogs were on our property.

Then yes the owners of the dogs are responsible.

I do disagree with the pp about if my dog was in my yard but not in the fenced part and a cat came in my yard and was attacked them I would not feel the need to pay. The reason I say that is b/c the cat obviously was not in a fenced yard and everyone seems to agree that the owners of the dogs are responsible. So why would I be responsible if they were not in the fenced area of my yard. does this make sense? It seems a double standard to me. I feel the cat should be kept up with just as much as the dog. So if the cat went into someone elses yard then the owners of that cat is responsibility weather the dog was in the fenced yard or not it is still that dogs yard not the cats.

 

[Scurvy]

If the entire attack happened on your property then they should pay all your vets bills. However, if your town has a leash law for cats (as mine does) and the dogs chased your cats onto your property from somewhere else, I think that would complicate things. I suspect you would each be held partially responsible in that case. I think that's how it ought to work, anyway. Either way, you absolutely should report them to animal control. It's not okay for aggressive dogs to be roaming free, and dogs that would attack a cat like this are clearly aggressive. I know it wasn't the case here, but as others have mentioned, if the attack had occurred on the dog owner's property (with or without a fence) then they shouldn't be held at all responsible - it would entirely be the cat owner's fault.

Unfortunately, the only way you can be sure of preventing something like this from happening is by keeping your cat indoors. If it is outside and free to roam (even if it doesn't go far from your house) there is always the possibility that it will be attacked or killed by neighborhood dogs, other cats, wild animals or even cars. Even being on your property doesn't protect it from all the other roaming animals that are out there, as you've found out. I saw this sort of thing so often when I was studying to be a vet, it always shocks me when I hear about someone choosing to allow their cats to roam outside.

I hope your cat recovers well.

 

[ksjayhawks]

They should be responsible for your vet bills. I would also report this attack--animal control or the police?? Not sure who but I would find out and do it.

I would also encourage you to call animal control when you see the dogs running loose.

 

[NikiM20]

Was the cat in your fenced yard? If yes then they should pay

If the cat was not in a fenced yard and there is a leash law in your area, then you are both at fault, even if it was on your property. Unless of course, your cat was on a leash.

 

[Imzadi]

They should be responsible for your vet bills. I would also report this attack--animal control or the police?? Not sure who but I would find out and do it.

I would also encourage you to call animal control when you see the dogs running loose.

People can make a report about an animal hurting another animal? Isn't that punishing a dog for following it's own natural instincts?

If my cat saw a mouse or bird, my cat will go after it.

 

[disneyfans95]

So seems like the dogs came on her property.. Then she should get compensation..

While I am a huge dog lover, if my dogs leave the yard and do something like that, we would step up can take ownership

 

[Mermaid02]

This is a good example of why cats should be kept inside.

 

[lillygator]

was your cat roaming? cats are never restrained outside...I hate that they can roam with a "free" pass yet dogs get the bad rap.

 

[ZachnElli]

If they came into your yard to go after your cat, then yes they should pay. My neighbor's dog (a lab) jumped my fence and went after one of my dogs, had he been injured, I would have sued them. There are a hundred (at least!) dogs in this neighborhood and we happened to move next door to the only people in the neighborhood who don't think the leash/fenced law applies to them! I went over there and told them they needed to do something about their dog, they got an invisible fence and that lasted a week! Grrrr!!!

 

[Scurvy]

People can make a report about an animal hurting another animal? Isn't that punishing a dog for following it's own natural instincts?

If my cat saw a mouse or bird, my cat will go after it.

Since pets are considered property, owners are usually considered responsible if they allow their pet to harm or kill someone else's pet. It doesn't matter if the animal is following it's instinct - the owner has to do what's necessary to keep the animal from damaging someone else's property. The property could be plants in a garden that the animal is digging up, a fence the animal is chewing on, a pet they are attacking, or anything else. It doesn't matter. The owners are responsible for the behavior of their pet, and they have to compensate anyone whose property they allow the pet to destroy or damage.

 

[EMom]

This is a good example of why cats should be kept inside.

Look, my 19 y.o. cat has never set foot outside. But if a cat is minding its own business in its owners unfenced yard, then it should be safe from attack by roaming free range pit bulls. I say they are lucky the OP only wants compensation for the vet bills. I'd want two euthanized dogs.

 

[Mermaid02]

Look, my 19 y.o. cat has never set foot outside. But if a cat is minding its own business in its owners unfenced yard, then it should be safe from attack by roaming free range pit bulls. I say they are lucky the OP only wants compensation for the vet bills. I'd want two euthanized dogs.

The breed of dog doesn't matter- but the cat would not be hurt if she/he had been kept inside. Cats are prey to MANY animals, coyotes, dogs, foxes, and large birds of prey. Keep your cats safe, keep them inside.

 

[Mermaid02]

I would like to add though that the dogs (regardless of breed) need to be restrained. Our neighbors down the street have a nasty little pomeranian (I have never seen a dog with such a rotten temperment) that is roaming the neighborhood constantly- I've already told myself I will be calling animal control the next time I see it out and about. Nobody wants someone else's animal in their yard.

 

[Scurvy]

Look, my 19 y.o. cat has never set foot outside. But if a cat is minding its own business in its owners unfenced yard, then it should be safe from attack by roaming free range pit bulls. I say they are lucky the OP only wants compensation for the vet bills. I'd want two euthanized dogs.

Of course they should be safe from attack if they are on their own property, but sadly it often doesn't work that way. And it isn't always roaming pit bulls, either. Possums, foxes, coyotes, cougars, raccoons, other cats, raptors, dogs, snakes - there are all sorts of animals that don't respect property lines, and many of them don't have owners who can be held responsible for any injuries they inflict on someone's pet. Sadly, the fact that a cat ought to be safe on it's owner's property doesn't really matter. And even in the OP's case, the fact that her cat had every right to be where it was, and the dogs didn't, doesn't make any difference. The cat was still injured, and that can happen to any outdoor cat. Yes, the cat's owners were in the right and the dog's owners were wrong, but that doesn't make the cat feel any better.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

Yes, the dogs were on our property.

Not only are they responsible, but the local Animal Control should be notified.

And more than likely their Homeowner's Insurance liability section will cover the costs.

 

[gate_pourri]

People can make a report about an animal hurting another animal? Isn't that punishing a dog for following it's own natural instincts?

If my cat saw a mouse or bird, my cat will go after it.

I'll admit, that was my first thought when I saw this thread. Dogs attack cats, cats attack mice, it's the cirlce of life. People keep mentioning children... Well, there is a big difference, to a dog, between a cat and child.

When I was a teen, we used to let our cat out... We (I knew, and assume my parents knew) there was a risk to the cat. He could get hit by a car, he could get attacked by a dog, or an evil goose or get hit by a golf ball (we lived on a golf course next to a lake), or any other number of things. Luckily, nothing happened to him and now that he is older, my father keeps him inside.

I don't think I would go after the neighbor. There is such a thing as responsibility. You let your cat out. You took the risk. The dog was being a dog...

 

[EMom]

The breed of dog doesn't matter- but the cat would not be hurt if she/he had been kept inside. Cats are prey to MANY animals, coyotes, dogs, foxes, and large birds of prey. Keep your cats safe, keep them inside.

I absolutely agree cats should be kept inside. I don't think mine would have made it to 19 if she'd been an indoor/outdoor cat. However, some posts here (not yours) seem to verge on "blaming the victim" and that's just wrong.

Had those dogs been kept on their property and not been allowed to get out, they could not have attacked another pet on its property. If the tables were turned and a roaming cat somehow managed to claw the crap out of a dog in its yard, then I'd say the cat owner needed to be responsible for that as well.