I do think that is a fun story and I like the lore of it and spirit. That said- there is a very real case in my mind that while we enjoy “vigilante justice” tales of justice- vigilante justice and justice with poor process in general has a spotty history.
I’ll get this out of the way- it’s a sensitive topic especially with current discussions and I do need to acknowledge that things like sexual harassment and assault have long and often been cases of “he said she said” where women weren’t believed or didn’t get justice. I think it is important that accusations of all types be taken seriously and given due process. That said- the latter part is pretty critical.
How do we know what really happened between these two people? On the surface it seems clear cut. He stole their cat. At a deeper level though, we don’t really know. We don’t know that he actually made a key and stole the cat. We don’t know that the cat is actually hers in whole or part. We don’t know if hers is a better..
home or a good home at all for the cat. Of course she could lie about any details, but people can also have different perspectives or remember things differently. So her story says they adopted the cat together, let’s take that at face value. The story itself shows that there is obviously a disagreement over custody of the cat. He wants the cat, she wants the cat. If they do adopted the cat and cannot agree to custody… why was it at her home to begin? He obviously wasn’t ok with that or he wouldn’t have taken it right? Assuming he took it. He could of course have never taken the cat and had legal custody. He also could have actually taken it- what if she essentially did the same thing to him? Kept the cat as she could deny him access and then he got into her house and reclaimed it using the key or other methods?
Essentially he could have been in some chat group telling this same story about his ex locking the cat away and refusing him rightful access and then taking things into his own hands and getting it back trough questionable means as self remedy. I’m not saying that is the case or should be believed- I’m saying that there isn’t much to go on here as far as proof or evidence that the cat belongs to either of them. 3 states have pet custody laws which take into account companion status of animals. In all other US states and in many other places animals are simply property like a blender or table. They are owned, someone paid for them, and someone else may have provided additional funds for upkeep etc. these financials matters are generally considered, if your boy/girlfriend pays things like vet and care bills, those costs can exceed the value of the animal. Depending on local laws and circumstances of individual incidences of care, these things may be treated similar to gifts or they may
be treated as enrichment you are deprived of. So you may or may not have some financial stake in the animal and as to rights of ownership that comes down almost exclusively to paperwork and whose name is on it. If both their names are on the paperwork for the animal they generally have equal rights to the animal.
While sentimental value and such can come to play with any property case, animals are living creatures and members of the family or close friends. The problem is the law doesn’t and really cannot value sentimentality.
In the USA most people get 3-5 days off work for the death of a qualified immediate family member. Meaning that someone who’s father is the most important person in their life and best friend and suddenly dies gets the same time off as someone who doesn’t feel strongly about their father and who’s father died slowly and expectedly. Someone who literally is happy to see a father die gets more time off than someone who has someone die whom they grew up in the same house with and treated as family for 20+years. How do you measure or weigh who someone may feel the loss of most and need that time? In property, if someone breaks your phone they either buy you a new one or pay you what your used phone was worth. What if you say that the phone is worth millions to you because it was the last gift of a cherished loved one? How does a legal system work and how many abuses are there when almost everything you own could be “priceless” to you? Your mothers watch is just a watch to anyone else.
They don’t know your mom or that relationship and arguably with or without the watch you still have memories. We can’t legislate what items help people feel or remember things more intensely. We can’t even quantify that effect. So while I personally find it messed up- pets are generally property under law. A cat you paid $50 to adopt is generally valued at $50. The food and toys and all that- you can use if you get another cat, and you’d be out the money if the cat was hit by a car or choked on food. We can’t say how long an animal might live but sometimes it comes into factor of an animal is healthy and kept indoors and very young to say there was a reasonable expectation of at least some number of years.
The point being there that if they both adopted the cat they both own the cat and it isn’t actually legally right for either to unilaterally keep the cat. There must be a settlement. Shared visitation is one possible route if neither wants to surrender their time with the cat and they are willing to put the cat though that, monetary compensation is another route- one keeps the cat and the other agrees to a sum, or to “trade” interest in the cat to gain sole possession of some other shared asset when divvying up assets, or the forfeiture of a non shared asset such as “well- I always liked that lamp you had when you moved in..” if an agreement cannot be made then a court is usually necessary.
A court will generally compel a settlement that may leave one or more parties upset or happy, but will be equitable on the eyes of the law and an impartial arbitrator.
So it’s a good story, a fun one. If it is true and accurate I’m all for it in this specific case as a tale of clever justice and community. That said- I lack the details to actually say if “justice was done” here. It happens in cases of child custody all the time, a parent wants custody of kids they don’t have current physical possession of and they enlist the aid of friends or strangers against an ex who they say wrongfully has the children to essentially kidnap their own children.
In short- there are two sides to every story. For those stories we do not have the details on and have only one side, our own biases and experiences tend to paint our reactions. We are more likely to believe that which we more closely and personally relate to. If you have had or have bosses that overwork employees and exploit their workforce you are more likely to believe it if an employee is talking about how they were mistreated and got “justice” that they are justified.
Hey, we all need to vent sometimes, buddy. I get it, believe me.
I just known that it can be grating seeing a post with lots of engagement only to find it's one person talking.
I for one enjoy your long posts, @guest_. It's an interesting daily read. Kinda like reading the opinion column in a newspaper, but without the political manipulation.
@kingswitcherii- it’s a fair and honest point, and I appreciate it.
@karlboll- lol. Thank you. Though that also means I am failing, as all of my posts are meant to subtly influence people to support a new world order where the Capibara rule the globe.
Oh my. Fear not- the theologies are sympathetic- ceiling cat rules the ceilings above while capibara walks the earth below with the other beings of the mud which are below ceiling cat. Capibara must be always vigilant for ceiling cat takes what it wants from those who are foolish enough to turn their backs on it. Together they create a duality like yin and Yang, a cycle of entropy that renews and destroys- each critical to the balance between ceiling and floor, for should what lies between the ceiling and floor cease- the world becomes a chaos where the ceiling and floor are one in the same and become the roof! This is the goal of the roof muskrat Sl’aak’nesh- a world of all roof.
I’ll get this out of the way- it’s a sensitive topic especially with current discussions and I do need to acknowledge that things like sexual harassment and assault have long and often been cases of “he said she said” where women weren’t believed or didn’t get justice. I think it is important that accusations of all types be taken seriously and given due process. That said- the latter part is pretty critical.
How do we know what really happened between these two people? On the surface it seems clear cut. He stole their cat. At a deeper level though, we don’t really know. We don’t know that he actually made a key and stole the cat. We don’t know that the cat is actually hers in whole or part. We don’t know if hers is a better..
While sentimental value and such can come to play with any property case, animals are living creatures and members of the family or close friends. The problem is the law doesn’t and really cannot value sentimentality.
I just known that it can be grating seeing a post with lots of engagement only to find it's one person talking.
@karlboll- lol. Thank you. Though that also means I am failing, as all of my posts are meant to subtly influence people to support a new world order where the Capibara rule the globe.