Q: Neighbor cats poo in my yard and they’ve poo so much on my brand new carpet on my porch it is destroy. What legal actio
A:
Very sorry about this situation. I am a cat owner and I can tell you they are pretty independent creatures and won't listen to or obey anything they are told. The probability of getting them to stop is pretty small, even if you speak CAT. However, this does not mean that you are required to put up with having cats ruin your property. It is the responsibility of the owner of a pet to control that pet. If it is getting out and ruining your carpet, you can bring a claim in Small Claims court for the value of the carpet. The limit is $10,000.00, which should cover your carpet.
You need to prepare for court by gathering lots of evidence, photos of the carpet, photos of the cats on your property, photos of the cat poo, replacement estimates and witness statements about seeing the cats on the property. Do not expect the Court to look at the carpet or poo. But you might want to think about this: wild animals can get on your property and leave scat that looks like cat poo, too. How do you prove it was from the cats? If the neighbor claims it was not the cats and was a Possum or other animal, you have the burden of proving it was cat poo. this sounds really silly but you may need a poo expert. I don't even know who that would be, a Vet maybe?
Justia disclaimers below are incorporated herein.
Justia Ask a Lawyer is a forum for consumers to get answers to basic legal questions. Any information sent through Justia Ask a Lawyer is not secure and is done so on a non-confidential basis only.
The use of this website to ask questions or receive answers does not create an attorney–client relationship between you and Justia, or between you and any attorney who receives your information or responds to your questions, nor is it intended to create such a relationship. Additionally, no responses on this forum constitute legal advice, which must be tailored to the specific circumstances of each case. You should not act upon information provided in Justia Ask a Lawyer without seeking professional counsel from an attorney admitted or authorized to practice in your jurisdiction. Justia assumes no responsibility to any person who relies on information contained on or received through this site and disclaims all liability in respect to such information.
Justia cannot guarantee that the information on this website (including any legal information provided by an attorney through this service) is accurate, complete, or up-to-date. While we intend to make every attempt to keep the information on this site current, the owners of and contributors to this site make no claims, promises or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of the information contained in or linked to from this site.
