Families in court fight over cat

A cat who left her owners and wandered into the home of neighbours is at the centre of a legal battle which could cost thousands of pounds.

The ginger and white feline was taken in two years ago by Duncan and Kate Grant, who thought she was a stray. They claim she was flea-ridden and needed medical attention. After trying and failing to establish where she had come from, they "adopted" her and named her Pippin.

However, the cat had in fact belonged to the Moan family, who claim the Grants "stole" her.

At a civil court hearing earlier this year, a judge ruled that the cat should stay with the Grants, who have now moved from their Charlton home to Lee Green. The judge said it was in her "best interests" as she had lived with them for some time.

Now Theresa Moan, her husband Jock and daughter Tammy, who are themselves moving from Charlton to a £600,000 farmhouse in Kent, are appealing against the decision because they want to take the cat, who they call Esme, with them. Mrs Moan, 44, said: "We're the legal owners of the cat, we've had her from a kitten and she belongs with us. She was never mistreated but did tend to wander off. The Grants took her in, moved away and took her with them. She's ours and we want her back."

But Mr Grant, 37, a Knightsbridge dentist, said: "Pippin seems happy with us and we fear that if she taken back, she will wander again and will become a stray."

Mrs Grant, 37, added: "Pippin came to us voluntarily. We thought she was a stray because she was in such a state and when no one came looking for her, we sought advice from the RSPCA who said it was best if we took care of her.

"The next thing we knew was the Moans contacted us saying we had stolen their cat and, despite trying to reason with them, they went ahead with the court action. My husband lost his mother from cancer late last year and it's very stressful because we've done nothing wrong."

Mrs Moan, who with Tammy, a 21-year-old veterinary nurse, care for a menagerie of animals, including 10 other cats, a dog, guinea pigs, two horses and a thrush, said that for a while both families were content to let Pippin spend her time between the two. But she claimed the Grants then said they were moving and taking the cat with them. They called police who said there was nothing they could do.

"We decided to contact solicitors and put Esme in a cattery to prevent them taking her. We even had her microchipped." But some weeks later, the cat, who lost her tail in an accident, returned to the Grants and moved with them.