Someone abandoned their cats for five years then sued the new owners

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Two cats named Vagrant and Nicholas Cage were abandoned by their former owner, who sued the new caretakers five years later, according to a BC Civil Resolution Tribunal decision.

According to the BC dispute, Kori Lancaster, the applicant in the case, claimed that their two cats were removed from their condo without consent on May 30, 2022.

The respondents, Colinda Dreger and Cristopher Lindstrom claim that Lancaster abandoned the cats in the condo when moving to a different city in BC in 2017. They added that they looked after the cats for those five years, including paying for food, litter and vet bills before Lancaster asked for them back.

Lancaster claimed $5,000 for the value of the cats and their return.

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Lancaster claimed the two parties had a shared living arrangement and were roommates. Meanwhile, Dreger and Lindstrom claimed that Lancaster moved out altogether, leaving the cats and would visit four or five times a year.

The tribunal decision reveals that it was likely that Lindstrom and Dreger were renting the condo from Lancaster. Lancaster had given notice to terminate the rental agreement in April 2022.

Around June 1, 2022, the parties met at the condo, and Lancaster discovered that Vagrant and Nicholas Cage had been removed from the premises and to their new place. Dreger and Lindstrom had, at that point, refused to return the cats.

One of the main tasks of the tribunal was to determine whether or not the cats were abandoned.

Because Lancaster had not contributed to the cat’s care for those five years, the tribunal determined that the cats were indeed abandoned, and the tribunal member overseeing the case sided with Dreger and Lindstrom, awarding Lancaster nothing.