lauraleeghan
Junior Member
Missouri
At the beginning of September 2010, I left my cat in the care of my ex-boyfriend. At the time, I was not able to take the cat with me because I was moving in with my father and he would not allow me to bring the cat. The day before I moved, I offered to move my cat to a friend's house so that my ex-boyfriend would not have to care for it. He then agreed to keep the cat in his care until I was able to move to a residence where I would be able to keep the cat myself. Now, in December 2010, I am able to take the cat back. I have contacted my ex-boyfriend to set up a time that I might be able to pick up the cat. However, my ex-boyfriend is refusing to give the cat back. He is using the defense that an animal is legally considered abandoned after one month of being left in someone-else's care. He claims that, if needed, he will obtain papers to prove his case. There are no documents to prove that either of us has legal ownership of this cat, as it was a stray that I took in off the street. There are no documents stating that I gave the cat to him, but there are also no documents stating that I would be back for the cat. My first question is if he has the legal right to do this and if he will really be able to obtain the paperwork. My second question is, if he is able to get the required paperwork, is there anything that I will be able to do about it?
At the beginning of September 2010, I left my cat in the care of my ex-boyfriend. At the time, I was not able to take the cat with me because I was moving in with my father and he would not allow me to bring the cat. The day before I moved, I offered to move my cat to a friend's house so that my ex-boyfriend would not have to care for it. He then agreed to keep the cat in his care until I was able to move to a residence where I would be able to keep the cat myself. Now, in December 2010, I am able to take the cat back. I have contacted my ex-boyfriend to set up a time that I might be able to pick up the cat. However, my ex-boyfriend is refusing to give the cat back. He is using the defense that an animal is legally considered abandoned after one month of being left in someone-else's care. He claims that, if needed, he will obtain papers to prove his case. There are no documents to prove that either of us has legal ownership of this cat, as it was a stray that I took in off the street. There are no documents stating that I gave the cat to him, but there are also no documents stating that I would be back for the cat. My first question is if he has the legal right to do this and if he will really be able to obtain the paperwork. My second question is, if he is able to get the required paperwork, is there anything that I will be able to do about it?