Shanghai court directs pet hospital to pay spiritual compensation for dead cat

As more and more people keep pets, the courts accept various cases involving pets. In the past, it was often difficult for pet owners to seek support from the courts for spiritual compensation after pets were injured or died of medical disputes. However, with the promulgation of the civil code, a Shanghai court recently supported the plaintiff's claim for spiritual compensation because her cat died on the spot due to mistake of the pet hospital.

In November last year, Gu sent her sick cat to a pet hospital for treatment. However, due to the operation error of the staff, the cat died suddenly.

Gu immediately called the police, and the person in charge of the pet hospital expressed willingness to take responsibility, but the two sides failed to negotiate on apology and compensation, so Ms. Gu sued the pet hospital to court.

After the trial, the court held that the pet hospital was at fault for the death of the cat, and should compensate the Gu for various losses of more than 6,000 yuan (around $874), including compensation for mental health.

Liu Wenyan, a judge of the Qibao Tribunal of the Minhang Court in Shanghai, said that pets have life and spirituality, which cannot be compared with normal objects. According to the relevant provisions of the civil code, objects that have specific meaning to the person can obtain corresponding spiritual compensation.

The judge said that based on the evidence provided by the plaintiff, the case was handled at the discretion of the plaintiff and supported her claim for spiritual compensation.

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