A cat owner from Sheffield became embroiled in pet polemics after his ginger and white moggy strayed one time too many into his neighbour’s garden.
Cats are known for their sneaky slinking around, hence the phrase “pussyfooting”.
So Kishwar Khan was shocked to find a police officer on his doorstep, accusing him of harassment for allowing his cat, Tinkerbell, to “trespass” onto his neighbour’s property.
Cats occupy a unique position in law, which means that although dog owners can be charged for failing to control their pooch, it is a different for kitties. Cats are classed as “free-roaming” animals and therefore owners cannot legally be charged with allowing their cat to trespass. After all, curiosity killed the cat, not the cat-owner.
After the police intervention, Khan told the Times: “I just couldn’t believed a police officer had taken the time to come to my house and talk to me about my cat.
“I would have thought they would have better things to do with their time than to send an officer on inquiries about cats that wander about. It’s what cats do.
"Tinkerbell belongs to my three-year old son Yaqoob and we love her.
“He asked me to stop the cat from going into the neighbour’s garden but how can I do that? It’s perfectly normal for cats to wander round the neighbourhood.
"It’s easy to keep a dog under control but cats like their freedom I can’t watch her every minute of the day."
Inspector Jayne Forrest of South Yorkshire police, said: “Police were called following an allegation of harassment. When we receive any reports of this nature its vital officers follow up all lines of inquiry."