Unlicensed Cat Encounters Bat in Apt

[Ben Shaw]

Recently I had a bat caught in one of my units that has a cat in it. We've had two other instances in the past year a bat has gotten in the basement and guys from another unit have caught it and let it go. This time, the young lady caught the bat and told me it was trapped, after which I called animal control to have it tested. It came out that her cat was unlicensed and unvaccinated, a requirement in MN (it was the first time I had allowed an animal and I didn't check when I screened her), so the cat had to go with animal control for a couple of days until the bat could get tested for rabies. Results came back--no rabies. Now my tenant wants me to pay for the boarding fees for her cat while it was there. However, if her cat was licensed appropriately, he would have been vaccinated and he wouldn't have had to go with animal control; he could have quarantined at home.

My question is, am I opening myself up to liability of some kind if I pay for the boarding fee? I don't necessarily want to admit guilt in any way since it was her responsibility to license the cat.

I do want to provide a safe living space, so I'm doing what I can to prevent bat visits from reoccurring.

M