You_Are_All_Diseased t1_iug0auv wrote on October 31, 2022 at 1:06 AM

Reply to comment by SnooWords4839 in ASPCA had my friend's "reported lost" microchipped cat. They rehomed it to another family and tried to get the microchip changed. Now another family own's the cat. by [deleted]

I’ve seen this kind of thing on r/legaladvice several times and generally the original owner is fucked. Seems like they never get their animals back and at most they can sue for the “value” of the animal which is basically nothing, especially compared to the value of a beloved pet.

This shit makes me furious.

Vertigo963 t1_iug4efx wrote on October 31, 2022 at 1:38 AM

I dunno. If there is a reasonable amount of proof of ownership (e.g., recent vet bills) and the owner is willing to contact police and spend money on a lawyer, I would tend to think the owner could recover the cat.

You_Are_All_Diseased t1_iughbpm wrote on October 31, 2022 at 3:23 AM

We’ll have to check NJ law because often the shelter can legally take ownership just by holding an animal for a certain period of time unclaimed.