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19 July 2018 / Jonathan Goodliffe
Issue: 7802 / Categories: Features , Divorce
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Putting the cat among the pigeons

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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

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