header-logo header-logo

Putting the cat among the pigeons

19 July 2018 / Jonathan Goodliffe
Issue: 7802 / Categories: Features , Divorce
printer mail-detail
nlj_7802_backpage

What can be done when the family pets get in the way of your relationship? A tale of feline hijinks, by Jonathan Goodliffe

An increasing number of family disputes now involve issues as to the custody and ownership of a cat or cats, especially when there are no children and the cat is in effect a child substitute for one or both parents.

Why cats and not dogs? According to a study published by the Institute of Advanced Feline Studies, humans tend to bond in the most profound way with cats, of all animals. Being parted from one’s cat as a result of a divorce can therefore be traumatic.

One cat dispute has now reached the Court of Appeal ( Andrews v Andrews [2018] EWCA 123) and the judgment of Lady Justice Green, summarised below, has clarified this difficult area of the law.

The married couple

The case concerned Rex and Mary Andrews. Rex was a corporate solicitor. He thought he was better than Mary because he earned more than she

If you are not a subscriber, subscribe now to read this content
If you are already a subscriber sign in
...or Register for two weeks' free access to subscriber content

MOVERS & SHAKERS

DWF—19 appointments

DWF—19 appointments

Belfast team bolstered by three senior hires and 16 further appointments

Cadwalader—Andro Atlaga

Cadwalader—Andro Atlaga

Firm strengthens leveraged finance team with London partner hire

Knights—Ella Dodgson & Rebecca Laffan

Knights—Ella Dodgson & Rebecca Laffan

Double hire marks launch of family team in Leeds

NEWS
Bea Rossetto of the National Pro Bono Centre makes the case for ‘General Practice Pro Bono’—using core legal skills to deliver life-changing support, without the need for niche expertise—in this week's NLJ
Small law firms want to embrace technology but feel lost in a maze of jargon, costs and compliance fears, writes Aisling O’Connell of the Solicitors Regulation Authority in this week's NLJ
Writing in NLJ this week, Victoria Rylatt and Robyn Laye of Anthony Gold Solicitors examine recent international relocation cases where allegations of domestic abuse shaped outcomes
Charlie Mercer and Astrid Gillam of Stewarts crunch the numbers on civil fraud claims in the English courts, in this week's NLJ. New data shows civil fraud claims rising steadily since 2014, with the King’s Bench Division overtaking the Commercial Court as the forum of choice for lower-value disputes
Artificial intelligence may be revolutionising the law, but its misuse could wreck cases and careers, warns Clare Arthurs of Penningtons Manches Cooper in this week's NLJ
back-to-top-scroll