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Custody of a Cat

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TiredNTexas

Junior Member
What is the name of your state? Texas
This is kind of a long story so I apologize ahead of time.

Before I met my wife she lived with her Sister and Brother in Law in their house. My wifes Brother also lived with them. Not long after they lived together a cat that they eventually called Bootsy came over from next door. The owner of the cat was a little boy and his mom wouldn't let him keep the cat anylong. My wifes brother asked the owners (his sister and brother in law) if he could keep the cat and they said yes. Bootsy was around 6 months old and because there were other cats in the are she ended up pregnant. She was too young to have the kittens so they had to be delivered via C section. The surgical wound soon became infected and Bootsy would have died but my wife spent well over 900 dollars to get the cat emergency medical attention. The cat survived and my wife moved out of the house to moving in with me. She let her sister keep Bootsy.

My wifes sister, brother in law, and brother moved to Washington state together a year after that happened. Several years later my wifes brother moved back to Texas and left Bootsy in his sisters care. Now a year ago My sister in law and her husband got a divorce because he cheated on her and wanted to be with another woman. When this other woman moved in she brought a cat and they kicked Bootsy out of the house.

My sister in law is moving to Texas to live with me and I paid for a plane ticket for Bootsy to come as well. Now that the ticket has been paid for My sister in laws ex husband decided he wants to keep the cat in Washington. I want to know if I have any legal claim to get the cat here. He doesn't take the cat to the Vet and he never paid the 900+ dollars back to my wife and I. Please advise.
 


stephenk

Senior Member
Why does he owe you or your wife for the vet bill your wife paid when the cat belonged to her?

Is it a black cat? If yes, is its full name Bootsy Collins?
 

TiredNTexas

Junior Member
stephenk said:
Why does he owe you or your wife for the vet bill your wife paid when the cat belonged to her?

Is it a black cat? If yes, is its full name Bootsy Collins?
It is a black cat with white feet and some white on her chest and is named Bootsy but last name would be Hill if anything. I don't want the money. I want the cat. I don't care about the money at all but would use whatever leverage I can to get her. I think we will take better care of her than he will. He never takes her to the vet or gets her shots.

Sorry I am slow on the uptake today and just got the joke.
 
I heard if the brother of you sister-in-law had a beard during the 7th month of your daughter's 1st pregnancy and lived in Oregon you would have recourse to the owed $900 and the 4th cat in the 5th litter.
If that's not the case, it would be difficult to claim ownership on a cat that she hasn't had in numerous years and that you claim she gave to her sister.
 

TiredNTexas

Junior Member
notsmartmark said:
I heard if the brother of you sister-in-law had a beard during the 7th month of your daughter's 1st pregnancy and lived in Oregon you would have recourse to the owed $900 and the 4th cat in the 5th litter.
If that's not the case, it would be difficult to claim ownership on a cat that she hasn't had in numerous years and that you claim she gave to her sister.
Does the sister have claim to the cat? Why would he be able to claim ownership over her? She wants the cat to come with her.
 
Where did Bootsy go, "When this other woman moved in she brought a cat and they kicked Bootsy out of the house." Who took possession of Bootsy?
 

TiredNTexas

Junior Member
notsmartmark said:
Where did Bootsy go, "When this other woman moved in she brought a cat and they kicked Bootsy out of the house." Who took possession of Bootsy?
She stayed in the area and the sister fed her. She eventually was let back into his house but the sister has fed her consistently since she originally came to live with them 7 years ago.
 
You and your wife have no claim to the cat. And isn't, "She eventually was let back into his house," a cute way to say the brother-in-law took ownership over the cat? And, as was said earlier, if he owes your wife money for the vet and that he doesn't meet your wife's standard of care, doesn't that mean it's his cat?

I would say just go find new pet, but I worry that your spouse will be pestering you about your complaints regarding the 400 to 800 dollar a month vet bills to keep fluffy on oxygen.

But if you are so interested in getting the cat, why don't you offer to buy the cat? I've owned and loved animals, but I always remembered that it was as interested in licking its a s s as it was interested in licking my face. It's a great visual to keep you grounded.

Looking over your other thread about the 4 hour apartment reconsideration, I think you have bigger fish to fry.
https://forum.freeadvice.com/showthread.php?t=250508

best wishes
 
Well color me Pink and call me Cupid

Well I know it is closer to St. Patrick's Day than Valentine's Day but I tell you what young fellow, I will gather up my cup and my cane and walk up and down Main Street and raise enough money to bribe you to send up young bootsy to Portland to live with me!

My sweet cat P-Nut has been a Yearning and a Yearning for a Black cat with white paws since, gee I don't know, I just found it a month a go, I just had to find a life for Da sweet ting! Well I can round up a sweet thousand and have you ship up Bootsy and all will be rockn' and rolln' and great up here.

Let me just see if my sweet postman will take cash in the mail or if I have to go to the unsafe bank around here. I just hate the bank, the last time I went the teller told me to put my wig on forwards. She said I did not resemble my ID card. She said I looked like Cousin It, ( whomever that is). When I turned it around she said "nevermind". (whatever that means?)

Well gotta walk P-nut, she is restless... Here Kitty kitty Kitty
 

badapple40

Senior Member
Tell the sister in law (was it?) that you will sue for the cost of the plane ticket if she does not turn over the cat.

You justifably relied on her giving you the cat when purchasing the ticket, and suffered (or will suffer) legal harm when the ticket is unusable due to sis's breach of promise. She also benefitted by you taking the cat in not having to care for or feed it. Therefore, she owes you either the cat or the cost of the plane ticket.


The legal principle is called promissory estoppel.
 

stephenk

Senior Member
Apple,

the poster wants to go after the brother in law for refusing to allow his soon to be ex to take the cat.

The issue is really between the brother in law and his wife.
 

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