animal theft?

[zingara]

Hi, I have learned that my new neighbour of 3 months( i'm the 1 that has moved) has given my cat to an animal rescue, and she has been re-homed. The neighbour claimed that she had asked 'everybody' if the cat was theirs but obviously she didn't think to ask me, her new neighbour, if the cat was mine. The animal rescue have said that I cannot get my cat back as she is with a new family. I had my cat for 9 years and she was a very much loved member of my family and we miss her very much. the only proof that I have that the cat is mine are photographs. she wasn' t id chipped. can any one tell me legally where I stand? I can't stop thinking that my neighbour stole my cat and that the animal welfare have handled stolen goods and taken money for her too. If this was a bike or car both parties would be guilty is it any different with a pet?

[joko]

i would speak to the police as it is indeed theft.

cats are largely independant animals and can roam around for days, going wherever they like, without being seen by their owners - this does not mean they do not have an owner.

for this woman to have actually caught your cat and kept it and asked around because she genuinely thought it was abandoned sounds unlikely

assuming the cat was well fed there is no reason to suspect that any cat you see has no home.

did the cat came to her for food and she fed it? - as many cats do, they are scavengers and will take food where they can get it - that again does not mean it has no owner - but i suppose you can understand if she took that behaviour to mean that the cat was not getting fed elsewhere, but the fact that a new cat appears at the same time you did - and she didn't ask you implies she perhaps knew the cat was yours but simply does not like cats and wanted rid of it, so cooked up this scheme to get rid of the cat.

does she have pets?

i would tell her you are going to get 4 new cats to heal your broken heart - watch her reaction - and also you expect her to pay for one of them as she is responsible for your loss.

mentioning the police will undoubtedly make her and the sanctuary think again.
the sooner they act the better as i would hate to think of some kids getting attached to their new pet only to have it taken away again.

[auzzie]

What a horrible neighbour. Did you not ask her if she had seen it when you realised it had gone missing?

[angeldraws]

If i were you, when you get the cat back - sorry, YOUR cat back - collect it's faeces up and post thru' her door - the mean old b1tch!! It's so obvious that she did this deliberately...i wouldn't believe a word she said....bless you.

[cheater123]

Why don't you return the favour if she has any pets? She might understand what an idiot she is then!

[zingara]

Hi in reply to auzzie, I stupidly never asked my neighbour. we have lived here 3 mths and I had never met her til last sunday tho I had seen her through the window. I jokingly said to my friends that I'd thought my neighbour had nicked my cat, only because my cat used to jump down from the ajoining fence when she opened her door, I really wasn't serious tho! sixth sense maybe? My other cat also disappeared for 3 weeks then turned up just as my other had disapeared, maybe she took them both! I should check whether he has been chipped. my other cat (Herbie) is a good vermin catcher maybe they can all be caught in her garden. I'm waiting for the animal welfare to contact the new owners to ask them if they would return my cat, I will give them till tomorrow, then, if the answer is no I will contact the police. Thank you for your support.

[sue11]

Hello, I have had my cats for 13 years and would be most upset and angry if one of my neighbours gave one of them to a rescue centre if they mistakenly took them for being lost. I would think you have every right to reclaim your cat, but I am wondering what attempts you made to find your cat, when it went missing? In your neigbours defence, perhaps she expected you to knock on doors to ask people if they had seen your cat? Perhaps this is why she assumed that the cat was a stray?
When one of mine went missing, I wrote notices and put them through all my neighbours doors, so they would be in no doubt who owned it. Thankfully she was back within 24 hours. I am not trying to sound judgemental, but just trying to give another opinion and perhaps a reason for why she took the steps she did. Best of luck though, Sue.

[nickijane]

Hi Zingara, I am currently going through the same problem, although the neighbour that stole our cat has now died which has complicated matters. By the time we found out via social services where Jester was it was too late, he had been rehomed. The vets are going to speak to the family and explain the situation but have told us that legally as they had him for 7 days before he was rehomed, they have acted correctly. We contacted this vets last year to inform them that Jester was not our neighbours cat and this was supposed to have been added to their files. Yet he was still rehomed. Like you, we miss Jester so much as he was part of our family and I would be very interested in any progress in your case.