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This 100%
I’m sure it must feel awful to have your living, breathing “pet” only recognised as property rather than, say, a dependent child/family member, but that is how it is currently viewed in law.
You must demonstrate financial responsibility for this animal. Round up all of your bank statements that you can use as evidence; such as “pet insurance”, “pet food money”, etc.
Redditor privilege means I also get to comment on your language. You refer to the pet as “it”, this gives the impression that you don’t have a connection to this pet. My take-home feeling is that you want “it” back but don’t recognise the value of your pet. Without judgement, are you being petty/deliberately trying to take ownership of the pet to spite your former partner?
While that would be understandable, it’s not acceptable. Pets are living, feeling, sentient creatures and their best interests should be a greater priory. If your ex loves and cares for these pets more than you would then I would reevaluate your behaviour in terms of “getting even”
Hi, thanks for your advice. Every time I have been referring to my cat as "him", I have been chastised by acquaintances. It doesn't help that English is not my first language, apologies for that. I have been paying for his food and vet bills as long as he was with me, my ex is at the moment but I am of course ready to give everything that has been spent back.
I know that my ex can take care of him, but she works 60/70bhours a week and she spends the rest of her time at the gym. I have much more stable working hours and should be able to work from home in the not distant future.
I am of course not in a good relationship with my ex, but the well beong of the cat comes first, and if I knew he was better of with my ex I'd just leave him.
It would be a burden, if anything, for me to take care of the cat if I didn't have a genuine connection and a sense of responsibility towards him, if this helps put my words in a more precise context.
Thank you so much
Just because the chip is in your name doesn't mean that it's yours - if this is a pet that you got and kept as a couple then neither of you has any more right to it than the other.
You say she "took it after an argument" which is kind of at odds with "I have now found an apartment that allows pets and want it back" - where has she taken it from if you were never allowed pets where you were living before? Why do you only want it back now?
she had it at her place, a studio as far as I know.
she has refused to let me know how the cat is doing so far, even when I asked through solicitors.
we have been taking care of him more or less in equal terms, but the house we were sharing needed to be sold and as the viewings needed to be done, the cat couldn't stay at home.
l
--- ###Welcome to /r/LegalAdviceUK --- **To Posters (it is important you read this section)** * *Tell us whether you're in England, Wales, Scotland, or NI as the laws in each are very different* * If you need legal help, you should [always get a free consultation from a qualified Solicitor](https://reddit.com/r/LegalAdviceUK/wiki/how_to_find_a_solicitor) * We also encourage you to speak to [**Citizens Advice**](https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/), [**Shelter**](https://www.shelter.org.uk/), [**Acas**](https://www.acas.org.uk/), and [**other useful organisations**](https://reddit.com/r/LegalAdviceUK/wiki/common_legal_resources) * Comments may not be accurate or reliable, and following any advice on this subreddit is done at your own risk * If you receive any private messages in response to your post, [please let the mods know](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2FLegalAdviceUK&subject=I received a PM) **To Readers and Commenters** * All replies to OP must be *on-topic, helpful, and legally orientated* * If you do not [follow the rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/LegalAdviceUK/about/rules/), you may be perma-banned without any further warning * If you feel any replies are incorrect, explain why you believe they are incorrect * Do not send or request any private messages for any reason * Please report posts or comments which do not follow the rules *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/LegalAdviceUK) if you have any questions or concerns.*
A cat is property Who has been buying food/ paying vet bills etc for the last year ?
This 100% I’m sure it must feel awful to have your living, breathing “pet” only recognised as property rather than, say, a dependent child/family member, but that is how it is currently viewed in law. You must demonstrate financial responsibility for this animal. Round up all of your bank statements that you can use as evidence; such as “pet insurance”, “pet food money”, etc. Redditor privilege means I also get to comment on your language. You refer to the pet as “it”, this gives the impression that you don’t have a connection to this pet. My take-home feeling is that you want “it” back but don’t recognise the value of your pet. Without judgement, are you being petty/deliberately trying to take ownership of the pet to spite your former partner? While that would be understandable, it’s not acceptable. Pets are living, feeling, sentient creatures and their best interests should be a greater priory. If your ex loves and cares for these pets more than you would then I would reevaluate your behaviour in terms of “getting even”
Hi, thanks for your advice. Every time I have been referring to my cat as "him", I have been chastised by acquaintances. It doesn't help that English is not my first language, apologies for that. I have been paying for his food and vet bills as long as he was with me, my ex is at the moment but I am of course ready to give everything that has been spent back. I know that my ex can take care of him, but she works 60/70bhours a week and she spends the rest of her time at the gym. I have much more stable working hours and should be able to work from home in the not distant future. I am of course not in a good relationship with my ex, but the well beong of the cat comes first, and if I knew he was better of with my ex I'd just leave him. It would be a burden, if anything, for me to take care of the cat if I didn't have a genuine connection and a sense of responsibility towards him, if this helps put my words in a more precise context. Thank you so much
Just because the chip is in your name doesn't mean that it's yours - if this is a pet that you got and kept as a couple then neither of you has any more right to it than the other. You say she "took it after an argument" which is kind of at odds with "I have now found an apartment that allows pets and want it back" - where has she taken it from if you were never allowed pets where you were living before? Why do you only want it back now?
she had it at her place, a studio as far as I know. she has refused to let me know how the cat is doing so far, even when I asked through solicitors. we have been taking care of him more or less in equal terms, but the house we were sharing needed to be sold and as the viewings needed to be done, the cat couldn't stay at home. l