Location: Michigan
My sister, A, has this cat named Aurora. A found her in the snow I believe about 5 years ago and brought her home, and at the time A was around 13 or 14. She’s 18 now, I’m 16. A still lives with me and my mom and I’m trying to move in with my other sister, who already agreed that I could bring my cat (Griffin, who my mom said I can have as long as I pay her what she paid the shelter when I move out) and Aurora. Within the past couple of years, Aurora has started having health problems, and I’m the one taking care of her, cleaning up after her, and trying to get her into the vet (I’m jobless right now and the job I did have didn’t pay nearly enough. A’s job pays her $400 weekly on average, which she always brags about).
Aurora’s health problems are mostly related to her digestion, as she can’t digest most solids and what solids she can eat have to be wettened before giving them to her, otherwise she pukes. I’ve been buying her wet food for a couple of months now and it has greatly improved how much she pukes and she’s gaining weight– I’ve asked A to help me with her food, she refuses. I also bought the cats’ a water fountain so they drink more water, because Aurora only drank out of the tub on occasion, which A believes is all they need. Aurora also has respiratory problems and I saw a video of a cat having an asthma attack on YouTube and Aurora does the same thing, so I want to get her tested for asthma. I’ve asked A to pay just the appointment (around $150 was the quota I was given. There’s also a charge to set an appointment and then any additional tests or an inhaler if needed) and that I would pay her back once I could. She refused. Also, before I started Aurora’s diet, I wanted to get her tested for any allergies to our cat food or just see if there was anything the vets could find wrong with her– A told me it was useless because they’d say what they told her before (I do not know when she took Aurora to the vet, but apparently at some point within the past few years, she did) which was inconclusive results. Also, A is supposed to clean the litterboxes, but actively refuses to and if she ever makes a move to, it’s months apart. Aurora and A’s other cat (who is in much better condition but she’s never showed any health problems) both refuse to use the litterbox and only use clothes (always mine, because I don’t have a dresser). Griffin still uses it even if it’s dirty but he’s the only one. Another thing that puts me off is that A is obsessed with having Aurora have kittens, even though she’s severely underweight and wouldn’t be able to actually survive a pregnancy. It’s really weird to me just how obsessed A is with the idea but that’s neither here nor there in terms of the law, I’m guessing.
A has threatened to sue me when– way before problems started– I joked about taking Aurora. Now, I genuinely want to take her, since I don’t think A cares about her health whatsoever and won’t be able to treat her properly. I’m autistic, so I can’t tell if she was entirely joking, or if she really could sue me over this. She is showing no signs of moving out, otherwise I would wait to call animal control on her when she does, but I want what’s best for Aurora. Is she actually able to sue me if I take Aurora, and if so, would I have grounds to fight back on? (Also, I’m assuming this would be fought in small claims court since it’s over a pet).
Comments
Most of your post is not relevant to your legal question. You’ll get more and better advice if you shorten it and add a tldr at the end.
If you take the cat, it is theft. Your sister owns the cat and a cat is property. You have no legal ability to take it. She can sue you and depending on how mad she is she can attempt to have you arrested for theft.