A hairball for life?
My neighbour has had a cat for several years, which he initially adopted with enthusiasm. Today, the purring on his lap has been replaced by long naps on the doormat. These signs suggest that this animal is being neglected, despite its poor state of health. What are its owner's obligations, particularly in terms of care, and what are the possible consequences of abandoning it?
Rémi, Vernier
Your concern is a credit to you, so rest assured: a pet is not just an old piece of furniture that you can get rid of when it becomes a nuisance. Swiss law imposes clear and strict obligations on pet owners, particularly in terms of care and the ban on abandonment.
According to the Federal Animal Protection Act (LPA), anyone who takes care of an animal must take account of its needs, ensure its well-being, feed it appropriately, take care of it, guarantee it sufficient activity and, if necessary, provide it with suitable shelter (art. 4 and 6 LPA). This protection is further reinforced in the implementing ordinance (OPAn), which requires the keeper of an animal to regularly check its state of health and take all useful measures to prevent or treat illnesses in a manner appropriate to its condition; if this is not possible, the animal must be put to death (art. 5 OPAn).
It is an offence to abandon an animal outright, even if it is sick or old. It is therefore expressly forbidden to release or abandon an animal with the intention of disposing of it (art. 16 OPAn)! Owners who break this rule are liable to criminal penalties, including fines and even imprisonment in serious or repeat cases (art. 26 LPA).
Anyone who has well-founded suspicions or catches a person in the act of ill-treatment can inform the administrative or criminal authorities, who can then carry out an inspection to punish this behaviour.
In the case you mentioned, if your neighbour is really thinking of abandoning his cat in the wild, he would clearly be breaking the law. As the legal owner, he remains responsible for the animal until he officially hands it over to someone else or to a shelter. Even a sick or ageing animal deserves proper care or, if necessary, a dignified end to life with the help of a vet.
In short, owning a pet also means supporting it to the end, even when petting becomes scarce. So owning a pet is a serious responsibility, not just a momentary pleasure...
