The difficulties of fighting over a cat can be traumatic indeed. Legal experst such as Peter Morris, a lawyer at law firm Irwin Mitchell advises that a firm agreement should be written up beforehand to plan what will happen if the worst scenario occurs.
If the worst happens and a case does go to court, he recommends staying rational and coming to a compromise. "Pets can be a source of comfort to children whose parenst are splitting, so it's important not to seperate them.
Lawyer Peter Morris says people can behave irrationally when upset and this can lead to bad decisions. He recommends the following five tips for couples to keep in mind when it comes to avoiding and resolving pet squabbles:
1When buying your pet try to agree who will keep it should the relationship break
down. Speak with a solicitor about drawing up a prenuptial or other written agreement.
2If separation becomes inevitable and there are no written agreements, try to stay rational. If possible come to a
sensible agreement in relation to ownership of property and belongings, including pets, without resorting to
the courts.
3 Look back and remember who the pets were originally for and whether one of you was their main carer. This can help determine who the pets belong to in the case of a break up.
4 Paws for thought — taking a pet custody battle to court would be very costly. Resorting to law can also be time-consuming and could increase bad feeling and emotional turmoil at an already difficult time.
5 Where there is more than one pet involved, splitting them up can affect the animals adversely. So, if you cannot
agree about one of you having ownership rights over all the creatures, consider joint custody or arrangements for contact in the future.
Have you had experience of deciding who should take your pet? Let us know on our forum .
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