A woman living in southern France was ordered to pay approximately $1,400 USD in fines after her cat kept visiting her neighbor’s property, leaving pawprints and feces behind.
Not everyone is a cat person, as a pet owner in Hérault, France, discovered when she was ordered by a court to pay €1,250 after her neighbor complained of damages to their property left by their feline companion.
The culprit, a white-and-ginger tabby named ‘Rémi,’ is now being dubbed ‘Rémi the criminal’ due to the incident, which has left locals divided.
His owner, Dominique Valdès, was fined €1,250 (~$1,445 USD) on January 17, 2025, with a judge ordering her to pay an additional €30 every time Rémi hops over their fence again.
Cat ‘vandal’ causes owner to pay fine for hopping neighbor’s fence
As reported by local French news outlet La Depeche, the charges against little Rémi included “urinating on a duvet, defecating in the neighbor’s garden, and leaving paw prints on stucco,” which had not yet dried at the time of his supposed vandalism.
Valdès was outraged by the ordeal, accusing the legal system of forcing her to lock up her cat and keep him from the necessary enrichment afforded to him by the outdoors.
“It’s absurd. It’s grotesque. It’s heartbreaking. I question the justice system. I wonder if it doesn’t have better things to do. The law is forcing me to be abusive, in fact, because a cat isn’t meant to be locked up,” she told TFI.
That’s not all; Valdès also argues that her neighbor’s lengthy court filing doesn’t provide enough concrete evidence to prove that her cat was the one responsible for the feces, urine, and pawprints, saying there’s another ginger kitty in the area who could be just as guilty.
“When I learned of the conviction, it was like being hit over the head,” she said in a statement to Le Parisien. “Because in this voluminous 90-page court file, there’s no real evidence that Rémi was the one who caused the damage.
“There’s another ginger cat in the neighborhood, and the numerous photos the neighbor himself provided show that many other cats have been through his garden.”
Her neighbors are inclined to agree with her, with one telling TFI, “It’s ridiculous. He (Rémi) doesn’t bother me. And besides, how do you expect to keep a cat in the house? It’s impossible.”
“He (the neighbor) could just build a three-meter wall, but the cat will still get through,” another argued.
Animal welfare advocates are also speaking out against the ruling, worrying that this viral case could lead to a drop in adoptions.
“If this procedure were to set a precedent, undoubtedly, we could fear a slowdown in adoptions. Who would embark on an adoption project with the risk of being ordered to pay penalties for the transport of their animal? No one!” SPA director general Guillaume Sanchez explained.
Local animal welfare group ‘Chats Viassois Bessanais’ is also getting involved in the dispute, with president Bernard Guigon saying, “Rémi is being accused because it’s the neighbor next door, but there are other stray cats that go everywhere, knowing that Rémi is sterilized and neutered, so he doesn’t cause damage and doesn’t invite other cats to come and party in his lovely pool in the back!”
Unfortunately, Rémi’s legal troubles don’t end here; Valdès has received yet another court summons for December after her neighbor accused the cat of coming into their yard yet again. Courts say she could get fined €2,000 ($2,312 USD) this time, and pay an increased additional fee of €50 ($57 USD) each time Rémi hops the fence.
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