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My cat is always round at my neighbours' house. I have asked them not to let him in and not to feed him but they continue to do so. Do I have any legal rights to stop them?
Our cat is continuously round a neighbours' house, we have asked them not to let our cat into their house or feed him but they continue to do so. They are not forcing him to stay or imprisoning him in any way, our cat continues to go there and doesn't come home so I have to go to the house to get him. Do I have any legal rights at all?
Cats – and indeed all animals – are regarded by English law as “property” or “things”, not as living beings and thus there are some pretty definite rules about ownership. Once you own a “thing” then the law says you still own it until you legally transfer it to someone else. A sale is an obvious example, as is a gift.
Your neighbours should respect your rights of ownership and should follow your instructions but it is very difficult to manage such situations. They clearly are not trying to steal the cat - just acting inappropriately. You could tell them that your cat requires a special diet and ask them not to feed it but this is one of those situations where you need to negotiate a human outcome rather than rely on a legal one.
Lawmakers recognise that a cat has an inherent nature to wander. Other notable differences in law between cats and dogs are that there is no requirement to notify the police if a cat is involved in a road accident, whereas there is with a dog. Cat owners are not required to keep their pets under control in the same way as dog owners are and they do not have the same liabilities which is why, in the world of pet insurance, cat insurance does not include third party liability cover whereas dog insurance does.
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