Cat ownership. Toronto. Only with the person taking care of…

I know your question is important to you and I will be giving it the time and attention it deserves.

I am sorry to hear of this difficult situation.

Well if she's demanding $4000 or she doesn't give the cat that I would say that's extortion. So I think that your girlfriend should call the police. It's not a civil matter because it's not just that the friend is keeping the cat but she's also saying $4000 if you want the cat. I guess she doesn't care too much about separation anxiety.

If that doesn't work your girlfriend should sue this nasty woman in small claims court. The court doesn't care about separation anxiety when it comes to a cat because in our legal system the cat is considered to be an object like a table. Your girlfriend owns the cat just as she would own the table and it has  to be returned.

Does that help?

The whole story is very clear and no vet said anything about some other woman keeping someone's cat. It's just blatant lies and it's a money grab. Your girlfriend can testify in court and so could you and sure pictures and bills all of that will count.

But this person who is demanding $4000 is a scammer and a bully and she's not going to want to go to court. But I truly suggest that you contact the police. It is what I would do. This is extortion. It's a criminal offence.

You are very welcome.

Thank you for trusting us to help you here at JustAnswer.   If you need more clarification or have a follow-up question just reply and we can continue our dialogue. If you would like to ask me new questions please start a new post and if you do if you say “This is only for Debra” I will be sure to give your post top priority.

No of course not. And as I said the cat is an object in our legal system. It is only about ownership and not the best interests of the cat. This isn't a custody battle over children.

Yes of course. I am a senior retired lawyer in Toronto. Rainy Toronto I should say.

You are very welcome

Well I would call the police if I were yo

But she's lying because she doesn't want to get in trouble. So if she has to hand over the cat immediately or she's going to face the police and a civil lawsuit. But your girlfriend can't say give me the cat or I'm going to the police because that too is extortion. She can only threaten to sue.

I will be here.

Thank you for trusting us to help you here at JustAnswer.   If you need more clarification or have a follow-up question just reply and we can continue our dialogue. If you would like to ask me new questions please start a new post and if you do if you say “This is only for Debra” I will be sure to give your post top priority.