The case was appealed and will be heard in a higher court today.
In principle, I agree, I know many cat owners whose pets have been "hijacked" like this.
According to this newspaper article (sorry, only in German), a lady was fined CHF 1,250 for feeding a neighbours cat and keeping it overnight against the owner's wishes.
Apparently it's not uncommon...
Come on!
Neighbor feeds my cat, neighbor adopted my cat, neighbor shot my cat, neighbor impaled my cat...****** neighbors
https://www.englishforum.ch/pet-corn...acks-cats.html
Hopefully the fine for shooting a cat is higher that the fine for feeding it
Neighbours, please don’t feed my cat. Or put another way DO NOT FEED MY EFFING CAT!
Thank you.
Side note: I still find it shocking that there are outdoor cats in Switzerland.
They're a scourge on the bird population, they poop in my vegetable garden, they're exposed to all kids of risks like cars, motorcycles, and apparently now vindictive cat-hating archers.
I kept our cats indoors, or supervised in the yard.
We would rather not feed the neighbour’s cats* but in nice weather when the kitchen door is open they think nothing of strolling in and helping themselves to our cats’ food. The grass is obviously greener here.
* One is the mother of our young cat and the other is the village stray and presumed father of the aforementioned cat.
Back to the first post, the higher court has cancelled the CHF 1,250 fine and gave the lady CHF 6,800 compensation mainly to cover the lawyers fees; not clear in the newspaper article who pays this compensation, maybe the Canton?
From yesterday's Tagesanzeiger :
"The woman does not have to pay the fine. The single judge acquitted her. The 59-year-old woman receives compensation of about 6800 francs. "It is not about whether it is right to feed someone else's cat. It is about the accusation of unlawful appropriation," the judge clarified. For that, she would have had to feed Mici systematically. Furthermore, it was not proven that the animal had been locked up. It had regularly returned to its owner."
But why do you find it shocking - its the norm in most countries. I know there are some laws being introduced in some countries (new zealand) but it is fairly normal everywhere for cats to be allowed outdoors, why would Switzerland be different?
In the US it's far less common. Still happens of course, but it's surprisingly common here, to me at least.
Also, dogs not on leashes - very common, completely inexplicable. I've had my dog jumped more times than I can count by folks "walking" their dogs without leashes.
But perhaps I'm ranting off topic here, and I should probably abstain.
Different strokes for different folks.
In Europe it’s the norm for cats to go outdoors and indoor cats are not really a thing.
I found it quite surprising that so many people keep indoor cats in the US, it was a total alien concept to me when we were there for 6 months in 2002.
I can’t imagine having a cat that didn’t go outside.
A properly trained mutt will always walk to heel. I rarely leash, just hold the harness when they take an interest, never been an issue.
Yes. Unfortunately it's the "properly trained" part that is all too often lacking.
When the wildlife outside is able to have domestic cats for lunch it's easier to imagine indoor cats. There's also other animals that are just defending their territories (racoons) or animals that get scared by the cat and act in self-defense (snakes, scorpions, porcupines).
It has been proven cats walk around a lot, up to 3km radius from their homes, need a sodding great appartement to keep the cat happy !
birds eats insects, cats eat birds, cars eat cats....law of the jungle and so forth.
Cats are independant to say the least it is cruel to keep them shut up in a small appartment, or even a large one.
Our cats have the run of the garden but cannot get over our fence. The are also inside from dusk to dawn.
ftfy.
Crueler to let them loose on the local wildlife, no? Besides, cats like coffee!
Pet cats don’t hunt for food, they hunt for pleasure. They can have a devastating effect on the local environment.
I was shocked to hear about how many cats are de-clawed in the U.S. ( it's surprisingly common).
The barbaric practice is illegal here.
But perhaps I'm ranting off topic here, and I should probably abstain.