accidently run over a cat, where do I stand legally

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Rob 80386

Rob 80386

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The problem started this afternoon, when I was outside the house loading up the car to go to the tip.

Anyways, there is a little white kitten running around, must has only been a few weeks old. It kept running under the cars.

However when I had finished loading my car up, I saw this kitten on the other side of the driveway near the neigbour's house.

My friend and I got into the car (I was driving btw) this kitten was still by the neigbour's house. started the car and moved foward 3 feet next thing I heard MEEEEAAAAOOOOW!.

My friend said whats that? so I stopped and looked round, then saw this kitten walking near the neigbour's car, it didn't look injured, so we carried on going to the tip.

Get back from the tip, the neighbour who's kitten it was took it to the vet, then comes round to us saying it's got a injured leg and it will cost £600 in vet bills, which I don't have. (already explaned it to her).

since this was a complete freak accident, where do I stand legally?

:thinking:
 
I seem to recall that injuring a dog with a car is the same as injuring a person
any other animal has no rights
you could point out if they were that worried about it they shoud keep it under control
it's not as if you were trying to run it over
if you're not sure pop down to see Mr. Plod who'll say stop wasting my time

btw any advice you get for free is worth what you paid for it!
 
I have cats and dogs and from my understanding you are not responsible. I had a cat that was hit by a car and needed reconstuctive surgury on a hip joint, the bill was around £300. If the kitten is that young the owners are irresponsible for letting it out as it can't even have had it's injections yet :thumbsdown:
 
they should have the insurance to my mind not the car owner! how the hell can you be expected to look under your car every time you get in it? tell them to get pet insurance like most people do!
 
Cats have absolutely no rights they are classed the same as wild animals, it also means if you damage your car in a collision caused by a cat you can't claim from the owner.

Dogs are different and you are liable to report it to the police but once again if the dog is running loose it would be classed as the owners fault and you would still not be liable, but you could claim for damage etc
 
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foggy4ever said:
I have cats and dogs and from my understanding you are not responsible. I had a cat that was hit by a car and needed reconstuctive surgury on a hip joint, the bill was around £300. If the kitten is that young the owners are irresponsible for letting it out as it can't even have had it's injections yet :thumbsdown:
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thats what I thought, cheers fo the information, just hoping the neighbour won't turn nasty and start damaging my car or anything :(

though if she does we have CCTV :thumbs:
 
mmcp42 said:
I seem to recall that injuring a dog with a car is the same as injuring a person
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When it comes to dogs the most commen complait after attacks is cars and it usually involes the car owner claiming from the animal owner for car damage. I can't ever remember seeing anything where a driver is held responsible for hitting an animal.....as long as you were driving sensibly :D
 
As the others have said,
If you hit a dog, legally you should stop and report it either to the owner or the police.
Anything else you hit, you have no responsibility for (except maybe endangered species).
Anything that you come across already dead in the road, you can have for dinner.
 
I think domestic cats are classed as vermin/ wild animals as unlike dogs they can't be trained.

Going off topic slightly, I knew someone who swerved to miss a deer in the road and hit a car coming the other way. Judge told him he should have hit the deer. :(
Do doubt you feel rough enough hitting the kitten, but I can't see how they could get you to pay for the vets bill.

If you were pulling off the drive, you wouldn't have exactly been going fast (especially as you were off to the tip!)
 
if you hit a deer and they prove you where going over the speed limit you WILL get prosecuted by the police/council, in fact if you hit one they will presume you was going over the speed limit.
 
CarolF said:
I think domestic cats are classed as vermin/ wild animals as unlike dogs they can't be trained.

Going off topic slightly, I knew someone who swerved to miss a deer in the road and hit a car coming the other way. Judge told him he should have hit the deer.
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Yeah but did the judge know it was an old Dear :D
 
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Simple rule, when driving, never swerve for anything on four legs (well maybe a horse). I would rather hit a dog/cat/deer than a lamp post/car/truck. Let the cats owner pay the cats bills. £600 is a lot!! Ask her how much it was, and then tell her it's an insurance right off and you will get her a new one. you could offer to take the kitten for scrapping, but the rspca may have something to sayabout it. Tell her to do one.
 
Ignore them,they should have had it insured, a friend had a dog, paid the insurance for 2 years, thought do we need this, no we don't, a couple of months later the dog ran out of the house straight in front of a car, it survived but cost them £1000 in vets bills.

No way would I pay £600 to have a cat treated
 
They are trying it on; no doubt they are upset but if it's that young it shouldn't be out and unfortunately cats will wander and don't seem to have much road sense which is why mine are house cats with access to a a cat proofed garden!
 
Ignore the fools............:thumbs:

Or bung me a ton and i`ll come and shoot the bloody thing instead..............:D
 
wack61 said:
Ignore them,they should have had it insured, a friend had a dog, paid the insurance for 2 years, thought do we need this, no we don't, a couple of months later the dog ran out of the house straight in front of a car, it survived but cost them £1000 in vets bills.

No way would I pay £600 to have a cat treated
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I've tried to explain, that she should have pet insurance, the same as what we have for our two dogs

Even I thought £600 is a bit steep :eek:

Blackwijet said:
They are trying it on; no doubt they are upset but if it's that young it shouldn't be out and unfortunately cats will wander and don't seem to have much road sense which is why mine are house cats with access to a a cat proofed garden!
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tried explaining that the cat was too young, but all she said was that because the kittten had it's vaccinations it's ok for it to be oustide, but at the end of the day it's not safe.
 
You do not legally even have to report an accident with a cat.

Unlike a dog they are considered to be uncontrollable and untrainable. Accidents with a cat are just that accidents.

They have no legal hold on you. it is just tough luck.
 
Ask her for £30 to get the tyres cleaned! ;)

Seriously though ... I suspect that the neighbour is taking the pish and if not then just tell her to take legal advice as she is obviously an idiot :shake:
 
if it is not totally stupid you have taught the cat a valuable lesson about cars.
It should live rather longer now.
Perhaps you should charge for the lesson.
 
Thinking about the legal side of thise (no I'm not a lawyer but I do work for an insurance broker) unless they can prove you were negligent, driving dangerously, intended to injure the cat etc I don't think they have a leg to stand on (although the cat still has three :D ).

And unfortunately for them £600 is a pretty minor amount for a vet bill for an animal injured by a car.
 
Blackwijet said:
And unfortunately for them £600 is a pretty minor amount for a vet bill for an animal injured by a car.
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what i was going to say.. its about 60 quid for an antibiotic injection these days.. let alone a broken limb etc.

but as a cat owner i wouldnt expect a driver to pay for vets bills towards my cats.. we let them out to roam, and it would most likely be an accident.
 
What do *you* think?

Can they afford £600? Are they the sort to be trying it on? You know youre neighbours better than we do.

At the end of the day though, there is a kitten injured...regardless of who's at fault. Only the heartless will ignore that fact IMO. And if it's injured badly, it's going to need treating.

If it were me and it were my neighbours, and I honestly thought they werent trying it on and they really couldn't afford the bills, I would offer to help. Yes they were stupid for letting it out, but it's an injured kitten, and you did it. We can sit here and point fingers all day about who's to blame, but it doesn't really help the kitten does it?
 
Dogs are legal animals... even though they're just a valuable source of protein...

Cats are cool, but legally they have no grounds to ask you to pay - however, morally?
Personally, I'd make an offer to contribute partial costs. Maybe £100 once you've seen the vet's bill...

Like you say, it might eventually cost you more than that getting those 'mysteriously reappearing' scratches on the car repaired every three months...
 
Offer to buy the neighbour a bucket and tell them you'll supply the water and brick for free.

£600 FFS! Some vets are really extracting the urine now that pet insurance has become commonplace. It's only £25 for the lethal injection and voila, no more vets bills.
 
Marcel said:
What do *you* think?

Can they afford £600? Are they the sort to be trying it on? You know youre neighbours better than we do.

At the end of the day though, there is a kitten injured...regardless of who's at fault. Only the heartless will ignore that fact IMO. And if it's injured badly, it's going to need treating.

If it were me and it were my neighbours, and I honestly thought they werent trying it on and they really couldn't afford the bills, I would offer to help. Yes they were stupid for letting it out, but it's an injured kitten, and you did it. We can sit here and point fingers all day about who's to blame, but it doesn't really help the kitten does it?
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Can see where you are coming from Marcel, but if they can't afford vet fees they should seriously think about whether they should have a cat, insurance is pretty cheap theses days and would've covered it. £600 isn't that much really for a major injury
So would they fork out for a spey or neuture :shrug: or just let grown up moggy increase the unwanted cat polpulation.
 
Marcel said:
What do *you* think?

Can they afford £600? Are they the sort to be trying it on? You know youre neighbours better than we do.

At the end of the day though, there is a kitten injured...regardless of who's at fault. Only the heartless will ignore that fact IMO. And if it's injured badly, it's going to need treating.

If it were me and it were my neighbours, and I honestly thought they werent trying it on and they really couldn't afford the bills, I would offer to help. Yes they were stupid for letting it out, but it's an injured kitten, and you did it. We can sit here and point fingers all day about who's to blame, but it doesn't really help the kitten does it?
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This.:agree:

To those who said they would not pay £600 for an animal vets bills, I presume you haven't got pets. I would pay whatever it took to get my dogs better. They are insured, but they to me are members of the family. The suggestion of telling someone who is more than likely very upset to stop being silly etc. is not going to produce anything but further confrontation.
 
In my mind, coming from a family with numerous dogs and cats, It is the owners responsibility to have insurance. The insurance would take care of this and no there would be no issues.

The question mark over the cat being out at such a young age (if the age quoted is correct) is a question mark over the suitability of the owner IMO.
 
Gremlin said:
Cats have absolutely no rights they are classed the same as wild animals, it also means if you damage your car in a collision caused by a cat you can't claim from the owner.

Dogs are different and you are liable to report it to the police but once again if the dog is running loose it would be classed as the owners fault and you would still not be liable, but you could claim for damage etc
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Wrong. Cats are classed as domestic animals but do lack some of the protection afforded to dogs. Among other laws that give cats some protection are the Cruelty to Animals act 1876 and the Animals Act 1971. They are also excluded from the definitions of 'livestock' and 'cattle' under the animals act which means that their owners cannot be liable for any damage they do.

And, to all those who have advocated cruelty to cats, I hope some nice, kind person does what you've suggested to your children.
 
dentedshed said:
Offer to buy the neighbour a bucket and tell them you'll supply the water and brick for free.

£600 FFS! Some vets are really extracting the urine now that pet insurance has become commonplace. It's only £25 for the lethal injection and voila, no more vets bills.
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:( That s****y attitude isn't wanted on these forums.
 
dentedshed said:
Offer to buy the neighbour a bucket and tell them you'll supply the water and brick for free.

£600 FFS! Some vets are really extracting the urine now that pet insurance has become commonplace. It's only £25 for the lethal injection and voila, no more vets bills.
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dentedshed said:
My, what a lovely temprement you have.

It's only a cat FFS.
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To use one of Rob's favourite euphemisms, you are a C-unit.

Want to see my temprament? Please come down for a visit.
 
Arkady said:
Dogs are legal animals... even though they're just a valuable source of protein...

Cats are cool, but legally they have no grounds to ask you to pay - however, morally?
Personally, I'd make an offer to contribute partial costs. Maybe £100 once you've seen the vet's bill...

Like you say, it might eventually cost you more than that getting those 'mysteriously reappearing' scratches on the car repaired every three months...
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:plusone:

I ran over my neighbours crash helmet a couple of years ago. He put it a few inches away from my car ran in to pee and obviously without walking 360 round the car I did not see it behind the rear bumper. reversed back to get out of the space I was in and crunch.

He did leave a very blunt note on my car the next day and after I had called him to explain that if it hadn't of been left unattended under my car I would not have hit it I did off to pay half for a replacement for the same type of helmet which he did agree to but never asked for.

At the end of the day it will be cheaper than fixing scratches, dents of mysterious nails in your tyres!!
 
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