A pet owner traveling on a high-speed train between Vannes in Brittany and Paris was fined £95 (€110) after fellow passengers reportedly complained about her cat, Monet, meowing persistently during the journey. According to the train operator SNCF, the incident was considered a “disturbance to public order,” prompting the fine.
The issue has caused an uproar among the general public in France. Supporters commend the company’s firm stance on enforcing peace and quiet in stations and aboard trains, viewing it as a necessary measure to ensure a comfortable experience for all passengers.
However, critics argue that SNCF staff can be overly strict and lacking in flexibility, accusing them of being intolerant and heavy-handed in situations that might call for more understanding or discretion.
Camille, the cat’s owner who was travelling with her boyfriend, Pierre, said Monet “miaowed a bit at the start” of the journey. “After a passenger complained, the conductor came and fined us €110,” she told the BFM news channel.
She was outraged, insisting that Monet had a valid £6 (€7) ticket and was being transported properly in a pet carrier, just as the rules stipulated.
She said: “It’s a shame that the SNCF allows itself to fine people who are simply travelling with their animals and who are respecting all the rules.”
The document given to Camille justifying the fine said: “The customer is travelling with a cat that won’t stop miaowing. After complaints from several customers, we have asked her to move. She has refused. Because the cat is noisy, we are starting [legal procedures] for troubling public order due to noise.”
According to the rail operator, a conductor had suggested that Camille move to a mostly vacant carriage with Monet, but she declined.
They noted that the cat’s vocalizations had sparked “acute tensions” among fellow passengers, prompting complaints to the chief conductor.
The fine, they clarified, wasn’t issued due to the cat’s miaowing itself, but rather because of the disruption it triggered.
The operator said a move to another coach would have been a “simple and common-sense solution” that would have “ensured peace for all, including for her and for her pet”.
