Neighbour row escalates as cat owner hit with £1,000 fine after pet trespasses into next-door's garden

Alongside the paw prints, Remi was also found guilty of causing damage by urinating on a duvet and defecating in the garden in Agde.

In January, an initial court ruling meant Ms Valdes had to pay €450 (£400) in damages and €800 (£700) in legal costs.

Alongside the sentence, an additional penalty of €30 every time the pet crossed the fence was issued.

However, Remi has now been accused of reoffending by the enraged neighbour, and Ms Valdes has been summoned to court once again.

In December, the 64-year-old teacher will face a new bill of €2,000 (£1,750).

The penalty for Remi crossing the property boundary has also been upped to €150 (£130) each time.

Ms Valdes said: "When I was told about the conviction, it was as if I'd been hit over the head with a brick."

She added the case had taken a large mental and physical toll on both her and the cat.

Ms Valdes told BFMTV: "Since the ruling, I've been keeping Remi at home. It's very complicated. He's become aggressive and attacks my dog.

"To keep him quiet, I tend to give him more food because I don't know what else to do when he howls, so he eats more and has gained weight.

"I can't even put him in my garden for fear that he'll jump the fence. It's as if he's been sentenced to house arrest, a kind of imprisonment and a double punishment."

Ms Valdes claimed the lawsuit has given her insomnia and she has had to start psychotherapy to deal with the stress.

She also argued it was unreasonable to blame her cat for all of the crimes, telling Le Parisien: "In this 90-page court file, there is no real evidence that it was Remi who caused the damage.

"There is another ginger cat in the neighbourhood, and the numerous photos provided by the neighbour himself show that many other cats have passed through his garden."

Other local residents have come out in support of Remi and his owner.

Azais Josian told BFMTV: "He wanders around, kills my rats and doesn't bother me at all. It's scandalous, it's really taking legal action for nothing."

Neighbours Dominique and Henri added: "In the future, this very perverse system could affect us all directly. It's like a cash cow for this man.

"And it opens the door to other ill-intentioned residents who don't like animals."

The plaintiff's lawyer provided around 50 black and white images of cats in court, however many did not match Remi's description.

Local residents added the plaintiff allegedly received a warning from the National Commission on Informatics and Liberty for spying on other houses using multiple surveillance cameras.

Societe Protectrice des Animaux (SPA), France's league for the protection of animals, expressed its concern about the case.

Director of SPA, Guillaume Sanchez, said: "We are not aware of any similar rulings in the past.

"Domestic cats, especially when they live in a house, have a natural need to venture around their territory."

He told Le Parisien "If this case sets a precedent, we can undoubtedly expect a slowdown in adoptions. Who would want to adopt a pet if they risked being ordered to pay penalties for their animals movements? No one."

The plaintiff declined to comment through his solicitor.