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On one of those court TV shows, defendant was being sued because his cat mangled plaintiff's small dog's face, resulting in big vet bills. Evidence showed that defendant did own the cat and he admitted it anyway, so there was no issue in that respect.
However, court ruled that domestic cats are considered semi-feral and owners are therefore not responsible for cats' actions.
At the other extreme, some communities require that domestic cats be leashed, including one county in my State.
Where does your locality stand on this issue legally. At the extreme end? Or somewhere in the middle?
I'm only aware of one local ordinance in my town pertaining to cats. Basically it says that "if you feed it, you take responsibility for it, and therefore 'own' it". It applies to indoor or outdoor, feral or otherwise. It also sets a limit of 4 cats per 'owner'. This has been on the books here for a while now, and I'm pretty sure it's still in force.
On one of those court TV shows, defendant was being sued because his cat mangled plaintiff's small dog's face, resulting in big vet bills. Evidence showed that defendant did own the cat and he admitted it anyway, so there was no issue in that respect.
However, court ruled that domestic cats are considered semi-feral and owners are therefore not responsible for cats' actions.
At the other extreme, some communities require that domestic cats be leashed, including one county in my State.
Where does your locality stand on this issue legally. At the extreme end? Or somewhere in the middle?
Best to check with your own locality -- city hall or animal control. (imo) indoor spayed and neutered cats have better lives and less 'issues'.
Cats run wild in my town and no one cares. Well, I care, but no one cares that I care anymore than they care about the cats to begin with. Your cat must be vaccinated and that's it. Unless your cat is rabid and has bitten someone, so that they can fine you, cats are just one more agricultural animal, to serve a purpose.
My neighbor and I, who are from elsewhere, agree that in a pig's a$$ would we put our beloved pet out on the street not knowing if we would ever see them again.
There are community rules, association laws but all in all it looks like the dog attack laws are very much stronger and solid than anything for cat attack. So check your area to be sure.
I'm rural and cats are welcome in this area. Personally though, I no longer encourage cats since my wife died but many of them "adopted" us when she was alive and she encouraged them, had 'em vaccinated, and treated them as pets.
The OP is simply a question because of the apparent opposite extremes to which local laws in non-rural areas treat them.
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