Judge Invokes 1894 Law in Cat Custody Dispute

[LiberalFighter]

Judge Invokes 1894 Law in Cat Custody Dispute

The outcome of a yearlong custody battle over a lost cat -- initiated by the cat's original owner against an animal-rescue agency and, subsequently, the cat's new owner -- will hinge on the requirements of the 1894 New York City Dog License Law, a Manhattan Supreme Court Justice has ruled.

Oliver, a 4-year-old pure-bred Russian Blue, walked out of Chavisa Woods' apartment one evening in September 2004, when a friend of Woods' blind apartment-mate accidentally left open the door to their East Village walk-up.

After learning that Oliver had been dropped off at KittyKind, the cat-rescue group best known for its cat-adoption center inside the Union Square Petco, Woods contacted the group.

A KittyKind worker discovered that Oliver -- renamed Gatsby -- had been at KittyKind, but had already been adopted by a new owner.

I would think that there is a requirement of reporting to local animal shelter any lost/found pet and more than just a 48 hour time frame before placing a pet up for adoption.