Compensation for loss or injury to a cat

Compensation for loss or injury to a cat is limited to economic loss in the USA. I am sure it is the same in the UK. Of course this refers to a claim for damages under a court action. Most compensation comes from insurance companies and a cat being a "chattel" would probably fall under household insurance.

The class actions I am referring to is the pet food recall negligence claims in the United States of last year that concluded recently with a $24 million settlement approved by the judge, working out at about $1,500 per cat keeper.

The compensation, deemed adequate covered loss of work, veterinarian bills and damage to the home etc. No reference to the pain and suffering of the cat owners caused by the cats injury or death was made in respect of compensation. It would be certainly off the scale to think that the cat herself could make a claim through her human keeper. Children can certainly make claims through a Guardian ad Litem in the UK.

The underlying premise of all laws in relation to cats is that, in the eyes of the law, cats are inanimate objects no different to your washing machine. Using old fashioned English they are chattels. In the law of England and Wales a chattel is an item of movable property as opposed to real property which means land or houses etc.

I'd be surprised if this state of affairs was any different anywhere else in the Western countries.

Compensation for loss or injury to a cat to Laws on domestic cat breeds wild cat species and animal rights law enforcement