In France, a court banned a cat from leaving the house and fined its owner for the pet’s “behavior”

A French court has issued an unusual ruling following a neighbor’s complaint about a cat named Rémi. The animal belongs to Dominique Valdes, and the neighbor claimed the cat regularly jumped into his garden, left marks on fresh plaster, damaged property, and even soiled a blanket.

The court prohibited Rémi from leaving the house and ordered the owner to pay €1,250 in compensation for damages and legal costs. In addition, each future violation of this ruling carries an additional €30 fine.

Dominique Valdes says that since the ban, Rémi has “gained weight and become aggressive,” and she is now afraid to let him out even into her own garden — in case he jumps over to the neighbor again.

The decision sparked strong reactions from animal rights advocates. The French organization SPA warned that such a precedent could discourage people from adopting cats and effectively calls into question the natural right of domestic animals to roam outdoors. SPA director Guillaume Sanchez called the situation a potentially “dangerous precedent,” and the owner's neighbors described it as “absolutely absurd,” adding that anyone could end up under a similar ruling.