cat law

[tirbr]

do owners have to keep cats in or do other people have to keep them out?

[Illyria54]

I think it is down to people to keep them out, cats are a law unto themselves. I believe a cat is still regarded legally as being a wild animal, (I may be wrong)and you would be expected to take whatever measures (not cruel ones though) to keep it out just as you would any other wild animal.

[ching chong]

cat waste space. get more meat on dog

[Bewlay Bros]

You do get wild cats in the UK (mostly in scotchland) but under English law they are tangible property, thus privately owned.

But to answer you question, it is a matter of common sense.

Don't have a cat flap unless you have a cat.

[fredpuli47]

Wild? At common law the domestic cat was never 'ferae naturae', that is seen as 'wild', but 'mansuetae naturae' ,that is 'tame'.The distinction was important because the owner was not liable for the cat's injuring someone unless the owner had prior knowledge of the tendency. (That applied to dogs too, hence the old idea that any dog was 'allowed' a first bite. On a second occasion the owner would be liable, as they'd be on notice of the tendency )

Trespassing? It was held by the Court of Appeal in Buckle v Holmes [1926] 2 K.B. 125 that an owner is not liable for damage occasioned by their cat wandering off.It follows from that that the onus is on others to keep cats out, not on the owner to keep their cat in.