Jump to content

Agriculteur neighbour threatening to shoot my cat


Nimportequoi
 Share

Recommended Posts

I don't think I have a leg to stand on, but just wondered what is the situation legally. My neighbour, who is a farmer and hunter, imported rabbits a couple of years ago to 's'amuser avec' - i.e. to shoot and they are now everywhere in large numbers - on my garden, and another neighbour's garden where they have done lots of damage to his potager. My neighbour saw one of my cats on his land, with a baby rabbit in his mouth, and came by yesterday to tell me in no uncertain terms that he, or his hunter friends would not hesitate to shoot my cat if they saw it on his land again and that I should attach the cat. The wild rabbits on his land are his. I know that legally he has a point, my cat shouldn't be on his land, but I can't really fence off my garden to keep the cats in as it is huge. I've already had 2 cats shot (they survived, but ultimately disappeared) and it woudln't surprise me if he was responsible. He is quite happy to shoot on days he shouldn't too, which means I can only let my cat out in the dark now. Has anyone had a similar situation?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm afraid that cats are "fair game" for many hunters, as you have - sadly - already found. My French neighbours eventually gave up keeping a cat, as they never lasted very long: either shot, trapped, poisoned or run over - and that's in a quiet hamlet.

It's a ridiculous threat anyway: if the rabbits are breeding like - well - rabbits, how can the odd catch by a cat make any discernible difference to their numbers?

I am sure that in the UK you could not be expected to keep a cat under control - unlike a dog. There may be a similar rule in France, but of course hunters are likely to ignore that. You could ask at the Mairie if there is a rule about cats - but even if there is, it probably won't be much help.

To be on the safe side, you will have to keep your cat indoors till the end of the shooting season, I should think.

Angela
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've spoken to the Mairie (I get on well with them, they don't like my neighbour) but they said he is right up to a point - the cat doesn't have the right to be on their land, but equally, he doesn't have the right to shoot the cat as it isn't on the 'liste animals nuisibles'. Not that that would stop him [:(]  I'm just letting the cat out in the dark now (although I know my neighbour is a rubbish shot). I've lost so many cats now I'm wondering if it is worth keeping them too.With the foxes and hunters, it seems like an ineveitable death sentence for them if they wander.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ours went from being an inside cat to an outside cat to an inside cat to an outside cat etc etc and is now an inside cat.

He never tries to get out either. We live on a main road and I don't fancy finding a squashed cat one day. Selfish, maybe, but that is the way it is.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We built something very similar to the cat enclosures when in Germany because our house was on a busy cross roads.  When in France the cats were allowed to roam freely, when in Germany house and pen cats - and this changed back and forth 4-6 times each year until we moved permenantly to France.  The cats id not seem to be overly bothered, and the few times they did get out of the house they were usually back within minutes.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

This is a timely thread as we just found our cat on saturday in a terrible state - he had been missing for several weeks. Straight off to the vet - he had to have surgery to remove an eye. The vet took an x-ray and the whole of one side of his head is littered with lead-shot. The vet has told us that the amount of pellets and distribution means that this was a deliberate, close-range, targeted shot.

This afternoon we are going to the gendarmerie to lodge a complaint. The vet is going to provide us with a copy of the x-ray and a signed attestation describing the cat's condition.

It is ILLEGAL to shoot a domestic cat - doesn't matter as far as I can tell, where it is or what it's doing.....

In six years of living in France we have lost 8 cats - without a trace, no remains ever found (and believe me we searched high and low). Now with this ninth incident we suspect we have the answer to what's been happening to them. We've spoken with the mayor and the head of the chasse in our village - he has sworn several times that nobody here shots cats...... when we present him with the tube of lead-shot and x-ray pic he's going to have to eat his words.

We have said that we won't have any more cats now - and expect everyday for something to happen to the two left to us, or for them to disappear too.

Lou

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Oh, Lou, how dreadfully upsetting!

I find it difficult just reading your post and I don't even know you or your cat!

I hope your little moggy gets over the op and manages to recover as best he can.

It's unforgiveable, the cruelty of some people....[:'(]

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm so sorry to hear about your car Lou, and I hope he recovers. I've had 2 cats that have been shot and subsequently returned full of lead shot, they recovered but have since disappeared, along with another cat. My farmer neighbour has always said it was foxes, but strangely enough the cats always disappeared during the day, not when out at night, and I now think he is a liar and either him or his son shot them.

It really isn't possible for me to fence of some or all of my garden because I have gites and the garden is shared. I'm just keeping the cats in now and letting them out in the evening when it is dark. I'm also going to depost a main portante with the gendarmerie regarding my neighbour's behaviour.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote user="N importequoi"]I'm also going to depost a main portante with the gendarmerie regarding my neighbour's behaviour. [/quote]

Could I ask what 'main portante' is ?

I've done a google/word reference search but cannot come with anything useful. Is it similar to 'porter plainte'?

Sue

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks Sweet and N'importe quoi for your kind thoughts.

Our cat is doing remarkably well, all things considered.

I'm being given the run-around by the gendarmes at the mo, but have insisted and have an appointment to make the report this afternoon. I didn't expect much, and that's exactly what I'm getting! He told me of another case in the local area, and the Parquet declined to take it any further, essentially saying that it was the owner's fault for allowing their animal to wander onto other people's property..............there are other ways of deterring a cat than shooting it in the head for heaven's sake!

We've also had people blame foxes for our cats disappearing - interestingly our vet says he's never heard of or seen cases of cats being taken by foxes....

In any case we will follow up this ourselves with the Maire and the Chasse, and make sure the maximum number of people see the photo and x-ray we have of the cat - both of which are shocking to see but I don't care if anyone finds it distressing.

lou

Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote user="suein56"][quote user="N importequoi"]I'm also going to depost a main portante with the gendarmerie regarding my neighbour's behaviour. [/quote]

Could I ask what 'main portante' is ?

I've done a google/word reference search but cannot come with anything useful. Is it similar to 'porter plainte'?

Sue

[/quote]

I think that the term is actually "main courante" . It's a more informal declaration that a "plainte"

Explained here:

http://vosdroits.service-public.fr/F11182.xhtml

All the animal protection websites that I've looked at in finding out more about all of this say that you should insist on making a "plainte" - the gendarmes don't have the right not to accept it, but if they do (this is France after all) you can write direct to the Procureur.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote user="Lou"]I think that the term is actually "main courante" . It's a more informal declaration that a "plainte"

Explained here: http://vosdroits.service-public.fr/F11182.xhtml

All the animal protection websites that I've looked at in finding out more about all of this say that you should insist on making a "plainte" - the gendarmes don't have the right not to accept it, but if they do (this is France after all) you can write direct to the Procureur.[/quote]

Having had cats all my adult life - who fortunately never suffered being shot - I can only imagine the heartbreak, grief and anger you and n'importequoi must be feeling.

Knowing your rights in this matter is important and doing things in the correct manner here in France does at least mean your voice will be heard. Your cat cannot speak for itself.

Bon courage.

Sue

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes main courante, not portante[:$]

It is informal and but can act as proof if I decide to porter plainte at some stage in the future. It will just make matters really bad if I porte plaint straight away.

The cat is the most important, but there are other things he has done as well (not the least sexual advances - to me and another female neighbour before she remarried). My main problem is that I make a living from the gites and don't want my neighbour to make it difficult for me to carry that out.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote user="Lou"]We've also had people blame foxes for our cats disappearing - interestingly our vet says he's never heard of or seen cases of cats being taken by foxes...[/quote]It does happen, is very rare, and is normally either a very young and small cat - or kitten - or an elderly cat. I do know of one person who actually saw her healthy, full-size adult cat attacked and carried off by a fox and she was too far away to do anything about it. The cat was not seen again. But it is very rare and in France, disappearances are far more likely to be down to trapping / snares, poison or shooting.

A local acquaintance of mine lost one of her dogs briefly a few months ago. Fortunately she knew that someone locally put down wire snares. She badgered him into taking her to each trap and reluctantly he did so. There was her dog, foot caught and swollen. He's fine but his foot would not have been if he'd been caught up much longer.

I really sympathise with those of you who have such carp neighbours.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

One of cats came back yesterday with an air-gun pellet in it's neck. Wifey has had a chat with the Mayor who said it must have been kids as air-guns are kids toys.

He wasn't much help really, but we're going to ask around a few of the neighbours to point out that it's illegal and they will get a good kicking if we find out who did it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 months later...
I recently had confirmation from another neighbour that it was the farmer who shot my cat who 'disappeared' last September. I still have my current cats but probably only because they are confined to the house in daylight hours.

I have a meeting with the Maire and the President de la Chasse on Saturday morning regarding my neighbour and I will do everything I can to get the his chasse permis withdrawn.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sitting here reading this with a happily fed cat beside me feeling disgusted at your neighbours actions. If you don't get a positive response from the authorities grab you neighbour by his bollix and don't let go for as long as you can. The tighter the grip the less resistance he will put up. [:@]
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...