Laws indeed differ from state to state. In a court case involving Jessica Cox, an owner of Baxter the cat, and Sally Allen, a victim of cat injury, the ruling that “the owner of the cat is not liable to its trespass simply because it is the most docile and harmless pet” is outrageous (Heller 2). I tend to disagree with the court ruling. Moreover, the claims by Jessica that she could not control Baxter just because he was not neutered and that she left his problem for everyone to deal with shows her irresponsibility for the cat’s behavior. She should have kept the cat indoors most probably in a cage at all times. This would make sure that Baxter would not roam free, thus such injuries by the cat would not have occurred on her neighbor.
However, I agree with Justice Barry R. Schaller’s first ruling that the likelihood of harm by the cat to persons may have resulted due to known behavior but not the cat’s previous history of aggression (Heller 1). But this does not cleanse the owner of Baxter the cat of the plaintiff’s allegations. It is the responsibility of Jessica Cox to take care of her pets including the cat, and take any other form of responsibility, whether legal or material that comes as a result of the cut.
Works Cited
Heller, Matthew. “Court Declaws “One Free Bite” Defense for Pet”. New Look on Legal News, 2008. Web.