How to get my kitty back from my sister?

by Cheryl L. Porter
(Thousand Oaks, CA, USA)

I love my little Cliffy-butt, and had some problems last Aug '12. I was hospitalized and my sister retrieved my cat from my motel room (as I had fainted).

Now, she won't return it until I am in a more stable environment and won't even EM on any of his information.

My sister considers me dead (which very much saddens me), but whatever, I just want my Cliffy back (I named him after my Grandfather who had passed and rescued him and his brother and sisters, including his Mom).

I had 8 cats to bring from OH to CA; luckily I was able to bring 6 and the other 2 -- well, someone ran over his mother and left her laying on the driveway to my apt. complex and the other one just disappeared. I even took a whole day off from work to find him, to no avail.

They are all in my prayers. What are the legal issues in my sister returning my kitty to his rightful owner?

He's been with me since he was born and is 11 yrs old. I haven't seen him for 6 months and my sister won't let me.

Please, I need advice. Thank you so very much. He's the only kitty left I have and I cry all the time without him.

Editor's note: I'm sorry to hear about your troubles, Cheryl. I'm not an attorney and I have never dealt directly with this type of situation.

My understanding, however, is that in most states, pets are treated like personal property under the law. A lawyer would be able to tell you about the relevant statutory and case law and how it applies to your situation.

I think that if there's any way to reconcile with your sister or have a family meeting where other family members could help, that would worth trying first.

I wish you the best of luck with this.
-Kurt