Passenger receives fine on Paris-Brittany train after complaints over meowing cat

A woman in France has been fined €110 by French rail operator SNCF after passengers complained her cat was meowing too much. 

Camille was travelling with her boyfriend Pierre between Paris and Vannes (Brittany) last Thursday, along with their cat Monet. The train was a daytime service, departing the capital in the late morning.

The cat was being transported in an approved-style travel carrier, and the couple had purchased the necessary ‘pet ticket’ needed for animals on SNCF services.

However following a complaint from a fellow passenger Camille says she was fined €110 due to the noise. 

“He meowed a little at the beginning of the journey, and following a passenger's complaint, a ticket inspector fined us,” she said to media outlet BFMTV. 

“It is wrong that the SNCF can fine people who are simply travelling with their pets, who are in compliance and who have taken all the necessary precautions,” she said.

The SNCF provided a different version of the events, however. 

The fine issued by the train conductor states that several passengers complained about the noise, and that the passenger refused to move. 

“This is clearly not a fine because the cat was meowing,” said an SNCF spokesperson when contacted. 

“Our conductors offered to reposition her in the next carriage where there were many empty seats, a polite solution that she refused. This simple solution would have helped ease tensions between her and the other customers,” the company added. 

How to contest – or pay – an SNCF fine

SNCF said that passengers who believe they have been unduly penalised can challenge a fine. 

“A fine can always be contested by our customers and we will re-examine this fine taking into account the customer's testimony,” it said. 

If you receive a fine on an SNCF train, you should contest it within three months. 

This can be done by writing to the ‘SNCF Voyageurs’ address indicated on the paperwork or reminder letter, or via an online form found here. 

You need to explain why you believe the fine was unjustified, providing as much evidence as possible.

Fines must be paid within three months, either in person by cash, card or cheque at a station, providing you have the physical paperwork with you. 

They can also be paid via phone, by sending a cheque to SNCF Voyageurs, or online.