Tobi the cat caught in court dispute after ex-girlfriend fails to return him

This isn't Tobi, but we're sure he's a sweet boy. (Lutsenko Kira/Shutterstock)

A cat named Tobi, involved in a court hearing, will finally have his forever home after being caught between two people who were formerly in a relationship.

In a BC Civil Resolution Tribunal hearing, Andrew Buckley asked for Tobi’s full custody from his ex, Sophia Crocker.

The pair dated between March 2021 and October 2022, but Tobi spent time between both couples after that. Crocker refused to return Tobi at some point, so Buckley turned to the tribunal for sole possession of the cat plus $2,000.

Crocker claimed that she owned Tobi due to an agreement between the parties. The tribunal disagreed.

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Buckley originally paid the $350 to adopt Tobi in November 2021. While Crocker made some claims about contributing, which the tribunal agreed with, it ultimately found that Buckley paid for Tobi’s adoption and Crocker’s contributions did not change the ownership status.

When the parties broke up, Tobi initially stayed with Buckley, who would occasionally drop off and pick Tobi up for visits with Crocker. This continued peacefully until January 2023.

On January 11, Buckley said he had second thoughts about the drop-off out of fear that Crocker wouldn’t return Tobi. Buckley ended up dropping Tobi off anyway. On January 14, Buckley said he would pick Tobi up, but Crocker said the suggested time wouldn’t work. Buckley followed up but received no response.

When Crocker finally responded, she said she was staying at a friend’s house for a month but could send updates about Tobi if given space. Since then, Buckley has been without Tobi.

While Buckley didn’t win his claim of $2,000, the tribunal agreed he was Tobi’s legal owner and ordered Crocker to make Tobi available for pickup within 10 days of the decision. Crocker also had to pay $125 for Buckley’s tribunal fees.