if a cat kills my plants can i pursue the cats owner in the Law?

Question

if a cat has killed off my plants/damaged my property can i phone the police and pursue the cats owner through the courts?

IE does the Criminal Damage Act 1971 cover me? after all if the cats owners had controll of their pet then it wouldn't have done anything?

from seeing the answers i am getting, it proves to me that cats are just worhtless vermin, in the same catagory are rats and mice. Shoot the bloody lot of em,

Answer 1

Sorry but the law for any damage does not include cats. If you kill a cat in a road accident you have no obligation to report it. If you kill a dog then you must report it.

Answer 2

Thats just petty trying to pursue the cats owner through court over it doing something that it would do in the wild just like any living creature it has a brain and can decide for it's self what it wants to do it has no idea what it's doing is wrong it just does it the cat's owner can't control what it does 24/7 by all means go to the police but don't be surprized if they laugh in you face for something so minor

Answer 3

In Britain cats (and owners) cannot be done for trespass or damage the cat's trespass causes due to court precedent in which the judge ruled that roaming was part of their nature.

I hope you don't shoot the lot of them, as cats are considered property under law and YOU would be taken to court under the Criminal Damage Act 1971 and a whole host of other laws too.

Answer 4

Very few cities include cats in their leash laws, etc. Sorry.

Your only recourses are to talk to the cat's owner, or to find a repellant or barrier yourself to keep the cat away from your property. I'm afraid it's pretty hard to do. We have large dogs that are in our backyard often, especially during the afternoons, and yet the cats still get in there and leave their little surprises, etc. There are fences with overhangs that make jumping over near impossible (not to mention barbed wire and the like) but that's getting pretty extreme...

Answer 5

Kills plants? I've got a flower garden in front that gets cat pee and poop in it, and the thing is a raging jungle! Cat stuff isn't acidic like dogs (which will kill vegetation). I've never had problems with plants dying, the flowers get nutrition and the growth is really good.

In fact, the only time I HAD problems was with rabbits eating the veggies in back and one persistent chipmunk that would uproot my pepper plant up to 14 times a day! I finally put a wire mesh around it and the chipmunk left it alone.

Answer 6

I'm afraid there's nothing you can do if the cat's already done damage to your plants, but there are ways to prevent it.

Cats absolutely hate the smell of oranges. Something that has always worked for me is to spread fresh orange peel around plants. It's a natural deterrent and its biodegradable.

Another thing I used to do when my neighbour's cat began picking on mine was to invest in a water gun. The neighbours cat soon learned that every time he went into my garden something bad happened to him.

Answer 7

thats petty man you can grow new plants you cant just grow a new cat its just a cat relax relax like go get laid its just a freaking cat they do as they want why get the law involved I mean a cats not gonna pay attention to a restraint order is it? You have to talk to the neighbours face to face and see if they're willing to participate...unless you're in America where you have the right to sue anyone anyway, if so then whatever but remember its a CAT

Answer 8

No. Dogs are an owner's responsibility in public liabilty, but not cats.
That law is related to how, when driving, you are legally obliged to stop for a dog but not a cat.

Anyway, why not try just being nice to the cat? Cats know how you feel and will not hesitate to p*ss you off deliberately. Just be friendly and it'll get the message.

Answer 9

There are some fertiliser things that you can put around your plants which deter cats. Whenever you see a cat, spray it with the hose. If you notice they are constantly in your yard, then take photos as evidence. Talk to their owners and tell them that you don't want them in your yard - it's your private property and they are trespassing.

Don't hurt the cats.

Answer 10

Wow. I don't think it has to go that far....
I think it is your responsibility to prevent this. Look up some ways online that you can deter a cat from going into your plants. (without harming the cat or the plant)
There are products out there that help with this. Don't waste the police's or the court's time. They will NOT appreciate it!