BC court awards cat ownership to one party in Family Law Act case
Tia Alexandra Myers lost custody of Todd in a trial ruling, with a judge finding she had edited ownership papers and reported the cat missing.
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A BC court has ruled that Chad William Maundrell owns Todd, a cat the couple adopted together from Chilliwack Animal Safe Haven, where Myers volunteered. The decision represents an early application of BC's companion animal provisions under the Family Law Act.
After the couple's separation, they attempted to share time with the cat, but the arrangement broke down. Myers and Maundrell applied to the court for ownership determination under the Family Law Act.
The trial judge awarded ownership to Maundrell, finding that Myers had left the cat in his care with no return date. The judge also found that Myers had created a second adoption certificate omitting Maundrell's name and had reported or supported Todd being reported missing, despite knowing the cat was not actually missing. The judge expressed concern that the missing designation created a risk Todd could be removed from Maundrell if the microchip was scanned during veterinary care.
On appeal, Myers argued her absence had been temporary—she had visited her mother for one month, taken two of her own cats on the visit but left Todd because he did not travel well, and her vehicle repairs had delayed her return. She also contended there was no evidence she had intentionally edited the ownership papers.
The appellate judge rejected Myers's application to appeal, finding she had not demonstrated that the trial judge's conclusions were unsupported by evidence or that there had been a palpable and overriding error. Under BC family law, companion animals are treated as property, and the available remedy is an order granting ownership to one party only—no visit orders are available.
The facts
Who owns the cat Todd after this court ruling?
Chad William Maundrell owns Todd. The BC court awarded him ownership after finding that Tia Alexandra Myers had left the cat in his care with no return date, created a false adoption certificate omitting his name, and reported or supported Todd being reported missing despite knowing he was not actually missing.
Where was Todd adopted from?
Todd was adopted from Chilliwack Animal Safe Haven, where Myers volunteered at the time of the adoption.
What did the trial judge find Myers had done with the adoption papers?
The trial judge found that Myers had created a second adoption certificate that omitted Maundrell's name from the ownership record.
