A family feud over an orange cat brought Portsmouth police to Wayne Avenue after a woman reported that relatives had come to her apartment and taken the animal.
The caller initially told police her nephew and several other people had come into her apartment and taken her cat.
When officers started sorting out the story, though, it quickly became less like a burglary and more like a custody battle — over cats.
One man told police he had moved out about three and a half weeks earlier and was simply trying to get his cats back.
The woman later told officers that he had not actually entered her apartment, but that his son had come to get an orange cat.
She told police she mainly wanted everyone involved to stay away from her apartment.
Officers determined the dispute over the cats was a civil matter, advised everyone involved, and took no report.
So How Are You Supposed to Get Your Pet Back?
The answer is definitely not to just walk into somebody else’s home and grab the animal.
Pets are generally treated as property in ownership disputes. Ohio law explicitly treats dogs as personal property, and courts can likewise wind up deciding ownership disputes involving companion animals.
If there is a disagreement over who owns a pet, gather whatever proof you have: adoption or purchase records, veterinary records, microchip registration, licensing paperwork, receipts, photographs, messages discussing ownership, and records showing who has routinely paid for and cared for the animal.
Then ask for the animal back directly and arrange a peaceful exchange.
If the other person refuses and there is no immediate danger to the animal, the dispute may have to be handled through the civil court system rather than by police. Officers generally are not going to decide a complicated ownership dispute at the curb.
And even if you are certain the cat is yours, being the owner does not give you permission to enter somebody else’s residence without permission.
If you believe an animal is being abused, neglected, or is in immediate danger, that is different. Contact law enforcement, the dog warden, or the appropriate humane agency rather than trying to retrieve the animal yourself.
In this Wayne Avenue case, police found no crime to sort out.
Just a family disagreement, an orange cat, and a reminder that pet custody can get every bit as contentious as the human variety.