Is compensation possible if a neighbour’s pet damages garden at French second home?

Reader Question: My neighbour’s cat is always coming into the garden at my French second home, tearing up our plants, clawing at the soil, and leaving its mess in our flowerbeds. What can we do? 

You may be entitled to a financial compensation for a neighbour’s pet damaging your garden, but you would need to be confident the animal is owned by your neighbour.

If an owned animal is causing damage to your property, the animal’s owner may be penalised under neighbourhood disturbance rules.

However, if it is a stray, you will need to contact the mairie or police as a first course of action to have someone check and potentially take away the animal. 

Read also: What are the rules on installing a cat flap or doggy door at my French home?

Neighbourhood disturbance rules only cover regular disturbances (barking dogs, for example) and not one-off occurrences, so in this case the damage caused by the cat entering your garden would need to happen often. The disturbance must be in the form of visible damage, or strong smells or noise.

Having video footage of several instances would help with this.

In terms of the damage caused by the animal, if it is extensive, you could obtain an estimate from a professional such as a gardener.

Look for an amicable solution

If you are sure it is your neighbour’s pet, as with all neighbour disputes the first course of action is to reach out to them and try to find an amicable solution. 

They may be unaware of the damage their pet is doing and there may be an easy solution, such as keeping the cat indoors or installing fencing.

You would also show any quote of the damage caused and see if the neighbour is willing to cover this. 

To prove you have tried to find an amicable solution when taking the next legal steps, you will need to send a registered post letter (lettre recomandée avec accusé de réception). 

If you are unsatisfied with the response, the next step is to ask a conciliateur de justice (free local mediator service) to see if they can find an amicable solution.

If this fails, taking the matter to your local courts is possible. 

The neighbour may in this case be fined for disturbances and could be asked to pay compensation to you.

Tips to avoid cats entering your property 

While you are waiting for the issue to be solved, there are some things you can do to minimise the chances of your neighbour’s cat coming into your garden.

Cats are sensitive to smells, and you can use this to your advantage by placing repellants at the border of your garden.

These can include coffee grounds, onion peels, lemon rinds, raw garlic, and white vinegar.

Using lemongrass or planting lavender along the border can also help. 

You can also install a fence or netting. 

Traditional fences may still be leapt over by cats – and potentially require neighbourly agreement and planning permission – but special anti-cat fences are available to buy online that can keep cats both in and out. 

Of course, you must not harm or interfere with the cat in any way yourself and legal penalties for doing so can be heavy.