Two days ago two dogs attacked my Mom's cat. He'll make it, but he had puncture wounds, four fractured ribs, and lung contusions. So he was in the "Kitty ICU", on oxygen and receiving IV fluids and painkillers. The vet bill will be over $1000, and hopefully Tom will be able to come home today.

I'm sure there are other people on the forum who have had this sort of situation... I'm wondering how you handled it? I'm looking for wisdom here, so that we don't create more of a problem than we already have.

Relevant details are:
-Neighbor A moved in next door to Mom last year, and has a small dog which he hardly ever lets out.
-Neighbor B has lived across the street from Mom for almost 50 years, and his dog had attacked neighbor A's dog last year, causing similar injuries to Tom's.
-Neighbor C lives on the next block and he lets his dog roam loose all the time. He's the brother of Neighbor A.
-We have a leash law. This is a suburban area where the long narrow lots back up to a creek, so there is a lot of open land down there.
-Neighbor B had been walking his dog (unleashed) down by the creek, and took a shortcut back up to the street along the lot line between Mom's house and another lot, when his dog and Neighbor C's dog ran after and attacked Tom. Nobody witnessed either dog actually biting Tom; by the time Neighbor B ran after the dogs to where the cat was, he saw both dogs were trying to get Tom, who was trying to hide under some bushes right against the foundation of Mom's house. Neighbor A ran out when he heard the commotion and saw his brother's dog still in my Mom's yard, and Neighbor B trying to kick that dog away from Tom (having already re-leashed his own dog).

Complicating all this is that Mom is 86, widowed for ten years, and is in poor health. She's still able to live at home due in part to the kindness of her neighbors, who do help her if she needs small tasks done, such as taking out the garbage.

And it's not like she has an extra $1000 to pay the vet bills. So the bills will be put on my credit card, but...

... Who do you think should be responsible for the bills? How should we handle this?

I would talk to both neighbors and pray .

Oh dear. I'm afraid you may not like my opinion. I have had cats my whole life (more years than I'm going to admit! LOL) Here is my opinion: Cats are domestic animals just like dogs. They are NOT wild animals. Just as you wouldn't let your dog run loose, you should not let your cat run loose. And one of the main reasons is exactly what happened to your mom's cat, among a host of others. According to almost all animal experts I've ever read, and every vet I've had a relationship with, cats should be indoor animals only. If they are allowed outside, they should be supervised, or in an enclosure they cannot get out of. While cats are incredibly smart (for an animal), they cannot reason any higher or better than a toddler. And you would not allow a toddler to roam unsupervised, would you? There are people who say "Well, he WANTS to go outside. He LIKES it!" And my reply is "Well, your toddler WANTS to run out into the street without looking. Or your teenager WANTS to experiment with drugs/alcohol/sex. So what? Who is the Human Owner (Parent) and who is the Animal (Child).

I am very, very sorry this happened, but I believe that the full responsibility lies with the owner of the cat. And I do have both dogs and cats.

I hope the kitty makes a full recovery, and stays in the house for the rest of his natural life.

PS My opinion would be the same even if it were a strictly rural/farm area.

My opinion only - all owners are at fault
the cat owner for allowing the cat to roam outside
the dog owner(s) for allowing dogs to run free - whether supervised or not

since the dogs were in the cat owner's yard, frankly they should at least offer to share in the vet bills

now if the cat was halfway down the street and the dogs chased it home, that's a different story

I have three indoor cats. try talking to all the neighbors with dogs and tell them they all must put forth some money because they are all guilty. stress your Mom's age and financial situation and the law too if necessary. good luck hon. after this, Tom should remain inside. poor cat. i hope he gets well soon.

i lost my 17 yr old cat to an attack by a fox or coyote at 2 a.m. when my hubby let him outside for a potty break. for some reason he refused to use his indoor potty anymore. His injuries were too bad and he was put to sleep. I still miss him even though we now have three indoor cats!

JJs I agree with the double fault entirely.

I have to agree 100% with JJ. I have been a responsible dog owner for all my life..... and now teach youth to be responsible dog owners. I hope you can get some help with the vet bills, but my guess is you will have trouble doing that. People who let their dogs "run" when they are on walks often times have no
control over them and not even a chance to control them when the dogs "instincts" kick in. My dogs, if not on a leash, would be running to find birds.... but at least they stop and just show you where they are, no attacks. BUT with that being said... they should (and are) still on a leash. They have cornered many cats, oppousms, snakes, etc in our yard, but no attacks.
Keeping good thoughts for the recovery of your moms cat, and your mothers well being also.

I would talk to both neighbors. Tell them about the expense to your mother and ask if they will contribute towards the expense.

I wouldn't even bring up the fact that your mother is partly at fault for letting the cat be outside (and without a leash). If they do, then don't fight their point.

As I see it, all three animals were equally outside without leashes. But that's not the point.

Two of them attacked the cat. Presumably the cat didn't initiate the attack. So the fault for the attack is with the dogs. Even if the dogs had been on leashes or in their yards, they would be to blame for attacking the cat.

This happened to my neighbors and it went to court. The judge ruled the leash law applies to both the cat and dog.
He split the costs 50/50 with the owners. The cat people were upset but "da judge rules"!. This was in TN.

I agree with Lisanne and do hope that your neighbors help to play for at least some of the vet bills. (And, on that note, your vet will probably be happy to set up monthly payment plans.) Cats, unlike dogs, go everywhere and are not "leash" animals. I don't believe the kitty was at fault in any way. Regardless, I am so sorry this happened and that you have been able to help your elderly Mom.