Hello ! I am new to the site, I found it on a website that I surf occasionally. In September 2005, I made friends with a guy in another town via internet(stupid I know), soon we became roommates, he promised to help me get a job making more money, gullible as I am, fell for it. I was only his roommate, not a girlfriend, I worked helped pay my way thru the time I was there. Abuse had set in a month after I moved in, yelling, screaming, threats to kill my family, and I had a cat, I loved my Tom, he loved me, he was by my side thru thick and thin. I had Tom for 3 years before moving in with the roommate, treated him like a King, he was my baby. One night, I had taken the abuse too long and enough, I called the cops, the cops came, I grabbed what I could and would return the next day for my other stuff. That was easier said than done, I finally had to take ex roomie to court to get in to get some of my stuff out of his apartment. I asked the District Attorney if I had the right to get my cat Tom back from my ex roomie, the quote from the DA was " I don't fight for a damn cat!" I'm sorry, I fail to see the justice in this. A week after my ex roomie kicked me out of the apartment, he went down to PetSmart, changed the ownership names on the vet papers, that's right, you can walk into PetSmart and change anyone's name on the vet papers! I was mad as hell, he thought it was the right thing to do, I'm sorry, that's considered theft, taking something that's not yours. A smack on the hands for Theft, and I couldn't get help for the abuse cause I wasn't romantically involved with the freak, and he now has my Tom, I feel guilty because I couldn't do anything to save Tom, he was my baby, I keep pictures of him, but it hurts to look at them. I lost my Tom to someone that doesn't deserve to have pets, he threw his cat off the balcony several time because of his temper, and now he has my cat Tom, what has happened to him?

I am sorry about your experience. This ex-roommate is obviously keeping Tom just out of spite and that is wrong. That DA is a jerk, your property is your property no matter what form it is in. Maybe you can try asking the ex-roommate for Tom back again now that it has been awhile? Maybe he has calmed down.

Abuse/assault has nothing to do with romantic connections or not. Assault is assault, by law. Animals are (still) considered property by law. If your cat has a tattoo for ID (which he should have had) , then he is legally registered to you, as would have been any medical/health care in his name, so I would think you could fight it on that basis alone. However, finding a lawyer willing to take on such a case might be the harder battle, although there ARE some around, especially in the States. You could Google "lawyers for animal cases" as I think that's how I found this out once. However, possession is also nine-tenths of the law, as they say, so really, the first thing that came to my mind was....why wasn't your cat the first 'thing' you took with you when you left? Other personal articles aside from my purse be damned, myself, I would never even consider leaving my furbaby in the hands of a known abuser. Sorry to be so frank, but I'd sleep on the streets (with my cat) before I'd let that happen.

Furkidlets' Mom
I totally agree with you. I just didn't know how to type it without making it sound like a guilt trip type post. I wanted to ask why Tom wasn't the first to be taken with her. I know if I lived with someone and was moving out my furbuddy would have been the very first to come with me.

My personal (and passionate) feelings aside, try this link to the Animal Legal Defense Fund's site, where they list resources to finding lawyers who believe animals need defending. While they most normally deal with animal cruelty (which this kitty might indeed be subjected to) I'm sure there are property battles, too, that some of them would be willing to handle.
ALDF website

Trying to get Tom out the door the night the police came wasn't easy, the roommate jerked him out of my arms, yelled NO and the cop made me leave without him. There isn't any way I can ask for Tom back now, ex roomie is still at his level that he thinks the world owes him, he even emailed me a few weeks ago and told me I was so retarded, that all people from Kentucky are retarded rednecks. I'm sorry, but you all haven't dealt with a psycho like this one, domestic violence isn't funny, i've been thru it, and I am still dealing with it today, nightmares, flashbacks, and I wake up crying because I feel he has hurt me deeper than what he thinks. The Law is the law but it doesn't do any good to complain, nobody cares.

umm not to suggest something "illegal" but is there any way you could go over when he's not home and umm... take the kitty back?

He took my key away from me and I don't know how to break in to someone's home if my life depended on it. I've already got the guilt trip from leaving my baby behind, after psych kicked me out, he went to Banfield Animal Hospital, took my name off the primary pet owner list and added his, they gave my cat to him. He is a thief, not sure about your town but in southern ky, it's a felony to steal, he live in Louisville, in Louisville theft is a smack on the hand, no crime at all.

what about small claims court? they usually take on any case. in fact you could hold banfield vets responsible to. as they should have contacted you before allowing such a switch to take place. have you contacted them? maybe if you were to go there with an officer and state your case the next time the guy brings him in and i assume he will, they can hold him there notify you and the authorites and stay there until you arrive to claim him. is he an indoor cat only? if not is it possible to get a hold of him outside by say like hiding in the bushes until you see him get him and leave? i wish you the very best of luck with this.

Would you be able to contact animal control or possibly the humane society? If you have pics of your Tom from different times in your life together maybe you can show he is yours. Were you a previous witness to his animal abuse? Maybe you should discuss your concerns with an animal control officer about the safety of your cat in his care? I know this is hard but the longer you wait to gain guardianship of your kitty, the harder it will be to get him back. If you have in your possesion any veterinary records, reciept for care, listing you as owner you should bring it to animal control. hope this helps Martha

I think the small claims court suggestion is a good idea. I don't know about Kentucky, but in Alabama it is only a small fee to file a small claims case and you don't have to have an attorney. When I was a police officer I would have arrested him when he jerked the cat out of your arms. I have seen dozens of domestic violence situations, and I say you are lucky to have escaped with your life. Best of luck getting your Tom back. I'll be thinking about and praying for you both.
Steve