dog attack on cat

franklin.adele

I hope i can get some help. my cat was attacked by a dog and had to be out down,the dogs owner said she would cover any bills until she saw the bill,the police have said a responsible dog owner would pay it and as she said it in front of witnesses she "doesnt have a leg to stand on legally". The problem is its a civil case and costs money to go to court,her and her partner both work but i am off sick with anxiety and a single mum as well,we have paid a high price with the loss of our pet and now it looks like we will have to pay out for this which i cannot afford as my mortgage has gone up. What can i do about this is there help with vets bills is there a legal way to make them pay as its their negligence that caused this and i dont see why we should pay for something that wasnt our fault. Its bad enough we are dealing with loss and my 8 year old witnessed the attack and has trouble sleeping and is always upset and i also have the worry of finding the money to pay for the vets bill. Hope someone can help us.

KatrinaWaves

franklin.adele wrote: »

I hope i can get some help. my cat was attacked by a dog and had to be out down,the dogs owner said she would cover any bills until she saw the bill,the police have said a responsible dog owner would pay it and as she said it in front of witnesses she "doesnt have a leg to stand on legally". The problem is its a civil case and costs money to go to court,her and her partner both work but i am off sick with anxiety and a single mum as well,we have paid a high price with the loss of our pet and now it looks like we will have to pay out for this which i cannot afford as my mortgage has gone up. What can i do about this is there help with vets bills is there a legal way to make them pay as its their negligence that caused this and i dont see why we should pay for something that wasnt our fault. Its bad enough we are dealing with loss and my 8 year old witnessed the attack and has trouble sleeping and is always upset and i also have the worry of finding the money to pay for the vets bill. Hope someone can help us.

Sorry for the loss of your cat.

Where was your cat attacked? If in your garden, then you need to ask the police to pursue the dog owners for allowing their dog to be dangerously out of control. Again for the public highway. I will note though that it is incredibly difficult to get the police to act unless the attack was on a person.

if in the dogs garden, then it is unlikely you can do anything about it.

sheramber

Sorry for your loss.

The circumstances of the attack may affect how successful a claim would be.

The cat on its own property and an offlead dog coming onto the property is different to a dog in its own garden and the cat comes into the garden.

Was it a quick, prey attack or was it a frenzied attack with the dog worrying the cat and biting those who tried to help?

Do you have legal cover on a home contents insurance policy or through a union at work?

You might consider the small claims court

https://www.which.co.uk/consumer-rights/advice/when-should-i-use-the-small-claims-court

Ask your vet for a payment plan.

jackieblack

First of all, sorry for your loss, I would be devastated if something like that happened to one of mine.


The two things you are asking about are separate issues.

1. You are responsible for paying the vet bill as it was your cat and the vet would have needed your agreement/instruction to PTS. (How much is the bill? "the dogs owner said she would cover any bills until she saw the bill" makes it sound like an unexpectedly large bill...?)
Most vets will agree a payment plan with you (if you explain your circumstances)


2. Whether you can pursue the dog owner for recovery of your costs will depend on the circumstances as stated above. You may need to pursue a small claim.

Silvertabby

I'm so, so sorry. I'd be devastated if this happened to my furry madam.

Even if your cat strayed into the dog's garden, this should never have happened. What if the next 'intruder' happens to be next door's toddler, chasing after his football?

Whatever the circumstances/outcome, this needs reporting to the police.

KatrinaWaves

Silvertabby wrote: »

I'm so, so sorry. I'd be devastated if this happened to my furry madam.

Even if your cat strayed into the dog's garden, this should never have happened. What if the next 'intruder' happens to be next door's toddler, chasing after his football?

Whatever the circumstances/outcome, this needs reporting to the police.

Im fairly sure there have been cases where dogs have killed children on private land and nothing is required to be done. (Update: There have, and the law has been updated. Still nothing to be done about a cat wandering onto the land)

The police cannot do anything if a cat wanders onto someone elses land and is killed.

franklin.adele

It was in my next door neighbours garden where my cat and her cat often hang out as such,and our kids aswell,the dog lives 12 doors down so got out and came halfway up the street.

MovingForwards

Unfortunately there are not many laws covering cats, eg if you are driving and you hit one you don't have to report it to the police, hit a dog and you do.

Mostly it's down to them being classed as independent and wandering animals.

I'm sorry about what has happened to you and your family.

Did the vet try and save your cat, is that why you have ended up with a large bill? Or is it the consultation fee and fee to put him/her to sleep?

You could take a punt through the small claims court as that is designed for the public to put 'lower value' cases through the court and the judges are more relaxed about litigants in person as the judges understand they are not legally trained.

However, you would still need to prove the woman was negligent and that is what caused the incident with your cat.

If you can answer people's questions we can give you more guidance.

franklin.adele

Sorry im new to this forum and will try and answer all questions. It was in a neighbours garden and the dog,the owners have said, is a rescue and was trained to hunt small animals. The bill was £470 i dont know if the cost is so high as it was on good friday i would normally go to PDSA as i am on sick at the minute. My daughter and her friend were playing out and saw the cat being attacked and screamed so i ran out and at the dog which tried to drag my cat away,i got its collar and pulled it away,i had to get my daughter to try and pick the cat up as i was holding back the dog the minute she did so the dog lunged at them both,luckily my neighbour was in and grabbed the dog so we could get away with the cat. In the chaos my daughters leg was bleeding and she said it happened at the point the dog lunged,i thought the cat had caught her but a few days later it came to light it was actually the dog. My sister spoke the with police for advice on the day who said about them having to pay the bill as i had witnesses to them saying they would,i didnt make an official report at that time i didnt realise the dog had caught my daughter and feel to say it now it looks as if im making it up and it was only a scratch but saying that does that mean there is a good chance the dog could hurt a child if it is near or holding what it sees as prey? tia

KatrinaWaves

Seems unclear whether or not the dog actually hurt your child.

You could take it to civil court if you have witnesses saying she agreed to pay. The police should really not be weighing in on this, although in the first post you do say something like 'they said a responsible owner would...' so clearly they are not going to back you up in legal way. They have no powers to make someone pay your vet bills unfortunately.

The police should absolutely speak to the neighbour about making sure the dog is kept on a lead or in a secure garden. Many dogs are prey driven, such as greyhounds, and it sounds like the neighbour is allowing it to be dangerously out of control, so the police do need to deal with this side as clear there was fear of harm.

With regards to your vet bill though sadly that will not be dealt with as a criminal matter and you would need to take it to the courts.

iammumtoone

I am sorry for your loss in what was a truly awful situation.

£470 is not a lot for a vets bill in these circumstances I understand you can't afford it but for your neighbours to say they would pay then say its too much money have no idea of the cost of keeping an animal.

I would get back onto police make an official report make sure they are fully aware of what happened, the dog got onto private land, killed an animal and attempted to harm your daughter. They will be unable to help you with your money claim but need to be aware of this dog in case something more serious happens next time. The owners need speaking to. Do you know where they got the dog from? I would also be calling therm to inform them of this, they clearly did not place this dog with the correct owners and need to be made aware of their shortcomings.

Next step is small claims. In basic terms (which the law works on, unfortunately emotions don't come into law) the dog destroyed your property which was on private land the owners then need to pay to replace that property (or in this case costs associated with it). You have a witness to say they agreed they would. Sounds like a strong case to me.