Q: My neighbor's cat got into my back yard and my dog attacked it - cat died from it's injuries. Am I liable for anything?
Cat has been seen repeatedly running free around the neighborhood. My back yard is completely enclosed by a 6-foot privacy fence.
A: It depends: (1) on whether or not you get sued or charged with a criminal offense (dangerous/aggressive animal) and (2) whether or not you are found liable or guilty as a result of either of these processes. Keep in mind, both can happen but the cat owner can only be made whole once. That said, generally recovery is limited to the value of the animal and any related medical expenses. So, the general rule of thumb is whatever the cat was purchased for. Now, if the cat was a “working” cat (an emotional support animal, because only dogs and miniature horses can be service animals), the cat might have some slightly greater market value that would have to be proved (generally only in a civil case - a criminal court is only concerned about market value and not emotional damages). I would recommend speaking to an animal attorney if you are served a summons or with a lawsuit.
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