Animal Ownership?

[krsuwmd]

We live on 10 acres. My brother-in-law and his 'girlfriend' live on the adjacent 10 acres. She continually brings in cats, lets them have kittens, and lets them just fend for themselves. They often come to our house, often hungry and sometimes ill, without care from next door. I cannot stand to see them go hungry, and therefore feed them. Last winter, one of them kept coming over, thin, cold, hungry, and sick. I fed him, and he kept wanting inside out of the cold. I would let him in at night to get warm and to eat, and realized he was ill. I told the 'girlfriend' next door, but it was ignored, and the cat kept getting worse. They knew that he was living at our place, and that I had had to take him to the vet myself, but said nothing. I finally took him to the vet, and spent several hundreds of dollars to get him well. Since then, he won't leave my side, stays inside with me all the time, and I love him dearly. Now, after a year, the 'girlfriend' says she wants him back. Do I have any rights in this situation? Thank you very much for your assistance.

 

[B_Lynn]

You should go to the local Humane Animal shelter. It certainly looks like she abandoned the animals. Explain to them what happened. They might be able to help you out as they should be aware of the local laws for animals.