My Mother in law had a black cat called lucky, he used to spend all day in side and go out at night.
One day she was walking up the road with her neighbour and saw Lucky sitting on her wall the conversation then went like this.
MIL thats my cat lucky
neighbour no thats my cat tommy
MIL no he's mine I'll show you he has a pink and black pad on his back paw
neighbour - so has my tommy
Yes you have guessed it lucky/tommy spent the day at MILs
and all night at the neighbours
lucky/tommy spent the next 5 years going from one house to the other, when he got ill they even split the vets fee.
But thats cats for you, they come and go as they please, I have no idea where mine is at the moment, but in the morning as soon as I get up he will come flying through the cat flap and demand breakfast
BTW I say mine in the loosest sense you do not own a cat
you are simply staff members
OP here, just an update. I am still not happy with my neighbour taking the cat in without my permission even after I told her not to. I made a complaint to my local council who are going to take action as it is deemed as theft.
:rolleyes: Good grief what a total waste of money. All you have to do is get a cat flat but presumably that costs you money? If your landlord won't fit one or it's housing association owned (I assume this because you still haven't answered my earlier question about what is so impossible about the doors on your house) then you are not living in a property that is suitable for your cat. That's not your neighbour's fault, you need to sort this out.
I've heard that you can't legally own a cat because they are free to go where they want, does anyone know if this is right?
No, it's not right. A cat may decide to rehome itself elsewhere, but you would still be the legal owner - it's just the cat wouldn't care about that:D
You cannot legally be held responsible for damage a cat does (in the way you can with a dog) because a cat is deemed a 'free spirit', maybe that is what you are thinking of.
And btw it is not only pedigree cats which are 'paid for' - almost every charity will insist on a donation of about £80, so the majority of cats are now 'paid for' rather than free to a good owner.
No, it's not right. A cat may decide to rehome itself elsewhere, but you would still be the legal owner - it's just the cat wouldn't care about that:D
You cannot legally be held responsible for damage a cat does (in the way you can with a dog) because a cat is deemed a 'free spirit', maybe that is what you are thinking of.
And btw it is not only pedigree cats which are 'paid for' - almost every charity will insist on a donation of about £80, so the majority of cats are now 'paid for' rather than free to a good owner.
The above ^ is correct.
In law cats are deemed to be wild animals in terms of legal responsibility for their actions, unlike dogs, sheep, horse, cattle etc.
However it is not even necessary to pay for something to own it e.g even a kitten given away/gifted to someone by the legitimate owner is then legally owned by the new owner, or an unowned animal, e.g a genuinely feral/wild cat can be owned by someone who takes it on if it did not already have an owner.
Non- protected genuinely wild animals e.g rabbits, ducks, fish etc are owned by the landowner of the ground they are on, for as long as they stay on that land, hence they can grant shooting or fishing rights to those animals/birds/fish on their land.
Once they move onto someone else's land temporary ownership converts to that person.
However when a cat is owned that ownership goes with the cat and does not depend on the cat's location at any given time.
OP I have a cat flap though my brick wall and I would be very concerned about a cat locked out, (very different to being let out or choosing to be out), all day in all weathers.
How can it escape danger if necessary, such as another aggressive cat?
Where can it go that is safe and protected from further injury if it gets injured e.g by a car?
You don't even mention any outside provision for shelter, which could be considered an infringement of the Animal Welfare Act 2006.
You are not legally responsible for your cat's actions when out but as its owner you are legally responsible for its welfare, including shelter and safety, at all times.
You cannot fairly complain about your neighbour providing for your cat's needs in a way that you are failing to do.
If your cat had access to your own house, or stayed in the house with a litter tray while you were out, that could be a different situation.
Off Topic: Lippincote I tried to PM you but DS says you are not accepting PMs?
Cats will choose their owner not the owner choose the cat, I have 2 cats who make reqular calls everyday with their other families and sometimes stay over at nights in the summer, it doesnt bother me a bit as I know they are safe and well.
My cats occasionally pop in to one of the neighbours if the door is open, but they don't by any means have a 'second home'. They have permanent access to our house via a catflap and I am here most of the time so they have no reason to find shelter anywhere else.
One of my cats used to visit his best (cat) friend next door regularly - but only as a protest because I had taken on a cat he didn't like. I understood that and was glad he had somewhere else he felt happy to go for a few hours a day.
That was the only time any of my cats have done more than pop in briefly to visit a neighbour. If you give a cat a secure and peaceful place to live, they can be remarkably loyal. But unfortunately because they have a reputation as being independent some owners think that means they need little attention and can just be left to their own devices, but in that case it isn't surprising if they find an alternative - they are very resourceful!:D
Comments
One day she was walking up the road with her neighbour and saw Lucky sitting on her wall the conversation then went like this.
MIL thats my cat lucky
neighbour no thats my cat tommy
MIL no he's mine I'll show you he has a pink and black pad on his back paw
neighbour - so has my tommy
Yes you have guessed it lucky/tommy spent the day at MILs
and all night at the neighbours
lucky/tommy spent the next 5 years going from one house to the other, when he got ill they even split the vets fee.
But thats cats for you, they come and go as they please, I have no idea where mine is at the moment, but in the morning as soon as I get up he will come flying through the cat flap and demand breakfast
BTW I say mine in the loosest sense you do not own a cat
you are simply staff members
:rolleyes: Good grief what a total waste of money. All you have to do is get a cat flat but presumably that costs you money? If your landlord won't fit one or it's housing association owned (I assume this because you still haven't answered my earlier question about what is so impossible about the doors on your house) then you are not living in a property that is suitable for your cat. That's not your neighbour's fault, you need to sort this out.
Honestly take some responsibility.
No, it's not right. A cat may decide to rehome itself elsewhere, but you would still be the legal owner - it's just the cat wouldn't care about that:D
You cannot legally be held responsible for damage a cat does (in the way you can with a dog) because a cat is deemed a 'free spirit', maybe that is what you are thinking of.
And btw it is not only pedigree cats which are 'paid for' - almost every charity will insist on a donation of about £80, so the majority of cats are now 'paid for' rather than free to a good owner.
The above ^ is correct.
In law cats are deemed to be wild animals in terms of legal responsibility for their actions, unlike dogs, sheep, horse, cattle etc.
However it is not even necessary to pay for something to own it e.g even a kitten given away/gifted to someone by the legitimate owner is then legally owned by the new owner, or an unowned animal, e.g a genuinely feral/wild cat can be owned by someone who takes it on if it did not already have an owner.
Non- protected genuinely wild animals e.g rabbits, ducks, fish etc are owned by the landowner of the ground they are on, for as long as they stay on that land, hence they can grant shooting or fishing rights to those animals/birds/fish on their land.
Once they move onto someone else's land temporary ownership converts to that person.
However when a cat is owned that ownership goes with the cat and does not depend on the cat's location at any given time.
OP I have a cat flap though my brick wall and I would be very concerned about a cat locked out, (very different to being let out or choosing to be out), all day in all weathers.
How can it escape danger if necessary, such as another aggressive cat?
Where can it go that is safe and protected from further injury if it gets injured e.g by a car?
You don't even mention any outside provision for shelter, which could be considered an infringement of the Animal Welfare Act 2006.
You are not legally responsible for your cat's actions when out but as its owner you are legally responsible for its welfare, including shelter and safety, at all times.
You cannot fairly complain about your neighbour providing for your cat's needs in a way that you are failing to do.
If your cat had access to your own house, or stayed in the house with a litter tray while you were out, that could be a different situation.
Off Topic: Lippincote I tried to PM you but DS says you are not accepting PMs?
Er no thats two staff members never ever use the word owner in front of a cat
Went pearshaped for a while but they've put it right now.:)
One of my cats used to visit his best (cat) friend next door regularly - but only as a protest because I had taken on a cat he didn't like. I understood that and was glad he had somewhere else he felt happy to go for a few hours a day.
That was the only time any of my cats have done more than pop in briefly to visit a neighbour. If you give a cat a secure and peaceful place to live, they can be remarkably loyal. But unfortunately because they have a reputation as being independent some owners think that means they need little attention and can just be left to their own devices, but in that case it isn't surprising if they find an alternative - they are very resourceful!:D