Is your cat used to going out as he pleases and wandering around the neighborhood, without it worrying you? Be careful, from a certain distance, the law considers it a stray animal, which can have consequences.
This is characteristic of many cats, especially in small, sparsely urbanized communities where their owners are not worried about letting them go out: they wander around, explore neighbors’ gardens or adjoining fields, hunt a little, take a nap in the shade, and come back home whenever they want. Trips that sometimes last a few hours, or even a few days for the most adventurous. Unlike dog owners, those who have a cat are in fact used to its independent and solitary character, which requires less attention and supervision compared to its canine friends. But few know that in reality, letting a cat wander as it pleases can have serious consequences.
Because yes, beyond the risk of never seeing it return due to an accident for example, there is above all a legal risk: from a certain distance from its owner’s home, a cat can be considered as “in a state of wandering” in the eyes of the law. That is to say, he officially becomes a stray cat, and will therefore be treated as such by the authorities.
According to article L211-23 of the Rural and Maritime Fishing Code, “any cat found more than a thousand meters from its owner’s home and which is not under the owner’s immediate supervision is considered to be wandering.”. In other words, if your cat has ventured more than a kilometer from the house and you are not directly by its side, the law considers it a stray animal and has the right to capture it. It is also a legal obligation for mayors to seize animals reported as straying in their municipality. Worse still, if the cat is not identified by a microchip or a tattoo, this distance is reduced to only 200 meters from homes. Moreover, as its owner is not known, it can be seized as soon as it is found.on the public highway or on the property of others”.
In the case of capture, the cat is then taken to the pound, where its owner has eight working days to come and collect it. You will then have to count some costs: 41 euros for impounding, 62 euros for identification if necessary, as well as 3.50 euros per day of accommodation. After this period, it will be considered abandoned and entrusted to an animal protection association, which will legally become its owner and can place it for adoption. But be careful, after these famous eight days, if the pound veterinarian “notes the need for it.” because of a risk of epidemic for example, he can also euthanize the animal.as a last resort”.
More than putting up “missing cat” signs in the hope of finding your four-legged friend, it is therefore imperative to go to the pound as quickly as possible, or directly to local associations to try to recover the animal before a tragic outcome. This law obviously also applies to dogs: apart from hunting or shepherd dogs, the Rural and Maritime Fishing Code stipulates that “any dog which is no longer under the effective supervision of its master, is out of earshot of the latter or of any sound instrument allowing its recall, or which is removed from its owner or the person responsible for it by a distance exceeding one hundred meters” is considered wandering. The distance is therefore much shorter than for cats, but the same procedure applies.
