Most pet owners assume the rules are roughly the same whether they have a cat or a dog. Martin Lewis has a clear message for anyone who thinks that: they are wrong and the difference could cost them seriously.The money expert was speaking at the Ideal Home Show in London earlier this month when he laid out one of the less talked-about areas of UK law that affects millions of households. Under British law dogs and cats are treated as entirely different kinds of animals and the legal responsibilities that come with owning each one are not even close to comparable.
Dog owners carry the legal risk
If a dog causes damage to a neighbour’s property the owner is legally liable. That could mean paying to repair a ruined garden fence or covering the cost of furniture a dog has destroyed during a visit. If the situation escalates it could mean facing a formal legal claim. Lewis was direct about this. He told the audience that dog owners are responsible for their animal’s behaviour and urged them to check whether their insurance policy includes third party liability cover. Without it a single incident involving a dog could result in an unexpectedly large bill.
Cats are free spirits under UK law
Cat owners are in a very different legal position. Under UK law cats are classified as free spirits with a recognised right to roam wherever they choose. If a cat wanders into a neighbour’s garden and causes damage the owner is generally not held responsible. The law does not expect cat owners to control where their pets go in the way it expects dog owners to manage their animals.
The one exception cat owners should know
There is one important exception worth knowing. If a cat owner was negligent in a way that made damage foreseeable then liability could still apply. Lewis gave the example of a situation where an owner had clear reason to expect their cat would cause harm to someone else’s property or to another person. In those circumstances the usual protection that comes with owning a cat may not hold.For the vast majority of cat owners though the legal position is reassuring. For dog owners the picture is more demanding and Lewis made clear that many people do not fully understand what they are taking on when they get a dog.
Why your pet insurance may not be enough
The Ideal Home Show is running at Olympia in London until 19 April 2026 and is in its 118th year. Lewis was among the speakers addressing practical financial and household topics throughout the event.The broader point behind his warning is simple. Pet insurance is often thought of purely in terms of vet bills. Third party liability cover is a separate matter entirely and for dog owners in particular it is worth checking whether their current policy actually includes it. A dog that digs up a neighbour’s flower beds or scratches a car parked outside may seem like a minor incident but the legal and financial consequences for an uninsured owner can be far from minor.
