Martin Lewis issues urgent warning to all dog owners in the UK

Martin Lewis has taken a little paws from dishing out dependable financial advice to Brits to give dog owners a warning they'll want to be aware of.

You might think the Money Saving Expert is barking up the wrong tree by talking about what to do with your pets, but he's been laying out the legal difference between dogs and cats.

Yes, if you have a dog then you could be in for a ruff ride legally speaking, while cat owners might not have to worry so much.

While in recent days he's been commenting on the budget, talking about your car insurance and helping rather a lot of car buyers potentially claw back a bit of cash they might be owed, today (7 March) Lewis took to X to lay out the legal and philosophical difference between the nation's most popular pets.

"There is one important legal difference between Dogs and Cats..." he wrote before leaving a gap for emphasis.

David M. Benett/Alan Chapman/Dave Benett/Getty Images

"Cats are by law free spirits, dogs aren't. You're liable for your dog's behaviour if it causes damage or injury to other people or property.

"So always check pet insurance has 3rd-party cover (if not as a min get it standalone from @DogsTrust). You're not usually liable for a cats behaviour."

This announcement sparked off the age-old cats vs dogs argument, as people seemingly never tire of extolling the virtues of their faithful ball-licker or their beloved little furball made of pure b**tard.

One person chipped in to quip 'dogs have owners, cats have staff', while someone else said they were convinced 'this law was defo made by cat owners'.

Others said they wished cat owners were more liable under the law, especially when it came to 'cats s**tting on lawns' as they wanted the owner to have to come and clean up the turds.

Getty Stock Photo

As with many things, Martin Lewis is correct.

Here in the UK, the law recognises that cats are less likely to cause damage to people or property, not that cats seem to recognise that.

Cat owners still have a duty to take reasonable care that their fluffy clawed monster doesn't wreak havoc, but legal cases involving damage done by cats tend to be fairly rare and their owners are not guaranteed to be liable.

On the other hand, dog owners are going to be liable for damage their canine companion causes.

While your pet insurance might protect you and yours from any harm done by your dog, third party cover will extend that protection to your dog harming someone else, another dog or someone else's property.