A 68-year-old Swiss woman was taken to Court by her neighbor, who claims that the pensioner systematically fed her pet cat for months, despite being notified in writing to stop.

This unusual story takes place in Zurich, where a woman stands accused of luring her neighbor’s cat with food for a period of 10 months with the intention of stealing it away. The plaintiff claims to have notified the woman repeatedly, even in writing, to stop feeding her pet, Leo, but to no avail. Not only did the accused continue to feed Leo, but she also installed a cat flap on her door so the feline could come and go as it pleased. As a result, after a while, the cat stopped returning to its original owner, and they were left preparing meals for it in vain. The pensioner’s neighbor filed a criminal complaint against the woman, and the public prosecutor’s office ordered the accused to pay a fine of 800 Swiss francs ($950) and also issued a suspended fine of 3600 francs ($4,273) for unlawful appropriation. But the 68-year-old woman refused to pay, so the case ended up in Court.

Photo: Yerlin Matu/Unsplash

According to Swiss law, occasionally feeding someone else’s pet cat is not a punishable offence, but doing so systematically could have legal consequences, because cats are considered their owner’s property, and luring them with food is considered unlawful appropriation. However, in this case, the defendant rejected the accusations against her.

Last week, the two neighbors appeared before the Zurich District Court with their respective lawyers to find a solution to their predicament. Their meeting was held under closed doors, and although the details have not been disclosed, the result made national headlines. As a result of the settlement agreement, the 68-year-old woman accused of systematically feeding Leo for almost a year can now keep the feline, and the previous owner withdrew her criminal complaint. A fittingly bizarre ending to an unusual legal battle, wouldn’t you agree?