Question
My cat was taken from my neighborhood and driven two states away to a shelter. The person wanted to adopt the cat after the waiting period. Luckily my cat has a microchip. Can I legally request the name of the person who dropped off my cat? I want to know who took her from us.
Kentucky, USA
Answer
You can legally request the name of the person who surrendered the cat but don’t expect to get the name. Shelters are not generally obligated to release this kind of information. While public agencies are subject to Open Records Laws (and it is not clear whether the shelter the cat was taken to is private or subject to the Open Records Law), there are exceptions in the law to protect personal privacy. For further information, consult with an attorney in the state where the cat was taken. A theft complaint may also be made to your local police given that the cat was taken so far away (which may evince an intent to permanently deprive you of the cat), although the police do not usually intervene in these matters
Please consider that cats are much safer when kept indoors.
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