Confessions of a Cat Breeder

My friend bought a Maine Coon kitten as a pet. The kitten, Katie, became a beloved part of her family. Six months later, the breeder who sold Katie to my friend asked to borrow her for a cat show. She agreed to lend him Katie for the show, but now he won't give her back! He has offered money but my friend isn't interested--- she just wants Katie. The police said that they couldn't charge the man with theft, because she gave him the cat voluntarily. She has done nothing to breach the contract. What can she do??

Dear Rebecca,

We are sorry to hear of the unfortunate circumstances your friend experienced with the breeder. If your friend purchased Katie from a cat breeder who is Registered with a recognized Cat Association, and signed an Ownership Agreement and has proof of payment, then she legally owns the cat, not the breeder. Perhaps your friend did not make the police aware of the Ownership Agreement and payment for the cat. The police may not have been aware of the circumstances and thought it simply a domestic situation.

So long as your friend has an Ownership Agreement that is signed and proof of payment, she should either contact the police again, explaining the situation in greater detail, or obtain legal advice so that she can get Katie back.

Let this serve as a warning to all cat owners out there to be careful and to only choose an ethical and honest breeder when deciding to purchase a kitten.

Rebecca, please let us know if your friend gets Katie back.


Take care,

P. Anderson
Webmaster
Confessions of a Cat Breeder