Question

A couple years ago my sister convinced my parents to get a cat and they agreed to. My sister just graduated from college and moved back in while she is searching for a home (I’m still in high school). When my sister left for college the cat stayed home with me, and I was the one feeding her and cleaning her litter. Recently my cat got spayed because I convinced my mom to finally take her for the surgery, so my mom and I took her. My sister payed $40 and I payed $50. My sister keeps on threatening to take my cat away when she moves out, even though I buy all of her food and clean her litter box. In a way, she couldn't care less about her needs. She keeps on saying that I am not the owner of the cat and that she is the owner, although I fulfill all of her needs on my own, and my cat seems to prefer to spend more time with me. Is there anyway to get custody over my cat when the time comes for my sister to move out even though I'm in high school? I cannot imagine my life without her, and I am way too attached and cannot even be a day apart from her.

Answer

Typically when parents get a cat, it is the parents who own the cat, not one of the children, even if the children participated in the cat’s care. Therefore, it would be up to the parents to decide where the cat should live. I hope that your family can work out a pet custody arrangement that is in the best interests of this cat.

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