Man Refuses To Pay Medical Bills After His Dog Attacked His Neighbor’s Cat, Gets Support From Reddit

Reddit users are backing a man's decision to not pay vet bills for his neighbor's cat even though his dog attacked their cat. Taking to the subreddit r/AmItheAsshole, This Redditor shared his story about his dog attacking and the reason that led to him refusing to pay the vet bills. His post has received nearly 6,000 upvotes and 1,200 comments. Scroll down below to read the whole story.

Source: Tractive

At the beginning of the post, the man started by giving the details. "My back yard is completely fenced in with a metal 6 ft high fence, and so is my neighbor's. I have a 3-year-old husky, they have a cat. My dog has full 24/7 access to my backyard through the use of a doggy door for 2 years now, and we've had no issue before. Every now and then my neighbor's cat would be sitting on top of the fence and my dog would bark at it, but the cat would run off. Not really an issue."
The neighbor’s cats came on his property and his dog attacked it because its territory was being infiltrated. He tried to save it from his dog and rushed it to the vet. "THEIR cat came through MY doggy door. My dog was alerted within seconds and reacted way faster than I could ever. The cat did receive some damage, but I managed to save it from my dog. I then rushed it to the neighbor's, and I drove them to the vet (they didn't have a car.)"

Source: Ranker

"Their cat was okay, hurt, but okay. I brought them home and as I was saying my goodbyes and giving my condolences, they asked about medical expenses. I have pet insurance for my own dog, so I had the reassurance that I would be able to afford my own animal's medical expenses. I wasn't financially prepared to handle someone else's. And I told my neighbor this, but they told me I'm at fault because it was my dog who attacked their cat. I failed to see how it was my fault, as the animal was trespassing in my own home, and my dog was reacting because its territory was being infiltrated."

Source: The Goody Pet

The owner of the dog refused to pay the vet bills, and he was being accused of being an asshole, a terrible person. They are rallying up the whole block against him. "They said some choice words but I ended up refusing to pay by saying "I'm not paying for your cat's medical bills, forget it" and I walked away. Other neighbors are now giving me dirty looks and I just don't feel welcomed here. I do plan on replacing my doggy door with an electronic one that will only open for my own dog, so I'm not ignoring the issue. I just don't think I'm to blame, especially when I did what I could to help. So, AITA?"
However, people online are rallying around him and agree that he is not the a**hole and is not responsible for the accident. The cat owners are selfish and bad because they let their cats roam free and didn't protect them.

This is what other Reddit users had to say about the incident.

Source: r/AmItheAsshole

Source: r/AmItheAsshole

Source: r/AmItheAsshole

Source: r/AmItheAsshole

Nobody blamed the dog owner for the cat’s injuries and said he was in the right.

Source: r/AmItheAsshole

Source: r/AmItheAsshole

Source: r/AmItheAsshole

Your pet is your responsibility. Pets are our family members, but they are still animals who can not think like humans. They do not understand how they can put themselves in danger. This is why it is a pet owner’s responsibility to train their pets and protect them from danger.
Who do you think is in the right? Should the dog owner pay for the medical bills? Let us know your opinions in the comments below.