This is a landmark decision for animal welfare. In a case of pet abandonment, the Saint-Étienne Magistrates' Court in France has ordered a tenant to compensate her animals for the ordeal they endured.
Ten days of hell behind closed doors
As reported by the newspaper Le Progrès, the events took place in April 2025 when a resident was forced to leave her home. Facing eviction, the woman left her cat and rabbit behind.
For ten long days, the two small creatures were left to fend for themselves, without a single drop of water or a morsel of food.
It was the landlord who eventually forced the lock, alerted by an unbearable smell of urine in the communal areas.
The cat and rabbit were found just in time, narrowly escaping a certain and painful death.
Legal recognition of 'harm to an animal'
The animals' owner was prosecuted and convicted. Beyond the usual criminal penalties, it is the civil aspect of the verdict that marks a legal turning point. The Saint-Étienne court validated the concept of 'harm suffered by an animal'.
The defendant was sentenced to two fines of €300 for depriving her animals of food and another of €150 for keeping a non-microchipped cat.
She will also have to pay €500 in material damages to the SPA, as well as the €800 awarded for the animals' suffering.