Man who didn't like neighbour's cat in his house dumped it five miles away

A man among the first to be charged under a new petnapping law told a court he abducted and dumped a cat near a layby because he thought it was feral and agitating his pets. Tim Armstrong said he freed the feline five miles away from his house in Nash Street, Meopham, in an effort to “protect his cats”.

But the cat's disappearance prompted a Facebook appeal from its owners. The black cat, called Seal, was actually a rescue belonging to Corrie Fautley and her family, who lived nearby. Armstrong appeared before Medway Magistrates’ Court where he pleaded guilty to taking the cat under a new offence introduced by the Pet Abduction Act 2024.

Before sentencing, Victoria McGrady, prosecuting, explained the case would be difficult to sentence because there are no guidelines yet. The court heard the cat’s disappearance had exhausted Ms Fautley who now feels she has lost “a part of the family” as Seal has never been found.

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The prosecutor explained the pet was a rescue from Celia Hammond Animal Trust and had been with Ms Fautley for around four and a half years. She explained how on January 4, the owner realised Seal had not come home, which was out of character.

After putting several Facebook posts appealing for help to find him, on January 15, her neighbour said her partner had spoken to Armstrong, who admitted “he had dumped it” by driving to a layby in Fawkham five miles from his home and releasing it in adjacent woodland.

He then provided images of the cat, which he sent to the neighbour’s husband for confirmation. The court heard how Ms Fautley confronted Armstrong, 59, who is said to have kept repeating “it’s done now” to the cat owner. She then went to the police.

A victim impact statement from Ms Fautley said: “This cat is part of my family, and it feels like I have lost a part of my family. He would not be able to find his way back home.”

She explained the upset the incident has caused to her family, adding: “We have a lot of love for this cat.”

The court heard Armstrong has no previous convictions and is a cat-owner himself who lives with his mother. Maneep Sahota, defending, explained how the incident had created a “storm” on social media.

She explained there was no doubt that the cat was placed away from its home but that the cat had “for several months” been going into Armstrong’s home through his cat flaps. The court heard Armstrong, 59, made inquiries with his neighbours to see if it was their cat, but they confirmed they did not know whose cat it was.

She explained the presence of this third cat prompted Armstrong’s two cats to become “anxious and nervous”. Ms Sahota added: “It was causing a disturbance to his own cats. He is not one that is cruel to pets. He thought it was a feral cat.”

Magistrate Harry Bull, responded and asked whether he could have taken the cat to an animal centre. Ms Sahota said: “There could have been a better way handle it. He is remorseful over it.

“When he was approached by the owner, he admitted he had taken the cat away deliberately. He was trying to protect his cats. He knows he did the wrong thing.”

The court heard Armstrong has handwritten an apology letter to be given to Ms Fautley. Probation explained the cat had kept turning up in Armstrong’s garden and over time had become more “territorial” and was following his cats through the cat flap.

Armstrong went to his bedroom and put Seal in a cat box and tried to find the owner, but when this wasn’t a success, he decided to go to a field to “set it free”.

Before sentencing, the prosecutor asked the magistrates to consider the “sadness” the abduction has caused and asked them to bear in mind how difficult it would be for the cat to find its way home. “This is a relatively new offence but we need to take into account the loss for the family,” she added.

Armstrong was given a community order of 40 hours of unpaid work to last for 12 months. He was also ordered to pay £100 compensation to the victim, as well as a victim surcharge of £114 and costs of £85.