In southern France, a woman has been slapped with a hefty fine after her cat allegedly caused trouble in a neighbor's garden. Dominique Valdès, the owner of a ginger cat named Rémi, was fined €1,250 by a tribunal in Béziers. The court held her accountable for the disturbances caused by her pet, which included damage to the neighbor's property.
The neighbor claimed that Rémi left paw prints on freshly applied plaster, urinated on a duvet, and defecated in the garden. Valdès, however, argued that there is no concrete evidence proving her cat was the culprit. She pointed out that other cats, which look similar to hers, also roam the neighborhood freely.
Following the ruling, Valdès now feels forced to keep Rémi indoors to prevent further issues. She expressed frustration, saying her cat has become more aggressive and gained weight due to the lack of exercise. "It's like he's been given a sentence of house arrest," she told reporters.
The case has drawn attention from animal rights organizations, with the French Society for the Protection of Animals (SPA) raising concerns. The SPA's director, Guillaume Sanchez, warned that this case could set a troubling precedent. He argued that if this ruling becomes standard legal practice, people may be discouraged from adopting cats altogether.
The matter isn't over yet. The case will be revisited in court in December, where a judge will decide whether additional fines should be imposed. Locals in the town of Agde have expressed their disbelief over the situation, with one person remarking that this could happen to anyone with a cat in the future.
