Woman refuses to return friend’s cat after pet-sitting it – after two-year legal battle, court finally rules on who gets custody
A simple favor between two friends took a hostile turn that landed both of them in court, fighting for justice. Aliya Zaydullina, a New York resident, became embroiled in a two-year legal battle with her former friend, Maria Senichkina, who had been pet-sitting her cat for months while Zaydullina returned to her native Russia. During that time, Senichkina took responsibility for the cat’s care and veterinary expenses, as she would have for her own pet. When Zaydullina demanded her pet back, Senichkina resisted. Ultimately, Zaydullina turned to the law to resolve the dispute over ownership, as reported by The Independent.
After countless trips to the Manhattan Civil Court, Zaydullina was finally granted full custody of her 15-year-old cat, Liza, on July 11, three years after they had seen each other. However, she and her cat have still not been reunited, as her former friend still awaits a formal ruling from the court to be mailed to her. “I don’t know if I’m surprised, but I don’t know why she’s doing that,” said the pet owner. The ongoing legal battle has been particularly challenging for Zaydullina, as she has had to travel frequently between New York City and her current home in Fort Lauderdale.
Managing accommodation and taxi bills added up to hundreds of dollars in addition to the legal expenses. To top that, Senichkina demanded she pay $18,000 in legal fees and reimbursement for taking care of her cat for seven months since 2022. “I had no idea it would go this far,” Zaydullina said, expressing concern and remorse for her troublesome situation with her cat.
In September 2022, Zaydullina asked her friend to watch her pet cat as a favor while she was away to visit her sick mother in Russia. She reportedly returned a month later and requested that Senichkina extend the pet-sitting for a few extra weeks while she settled family problems. Zaydullina updated her friend with every little detail about her mother’s health, hoping she would understand as a close friend. This gave way to a miscommunication where Senichkina believed Liza was gifted to her by Zaydullina herself. However, the latter maintains it was a simple request to extend the period. The friend later regretted temporarily watching over the cat for seven months, which resulted in a deep attachment to the pet.
Court Judge Wendy Li had considered the women’s property rights, discrepancies in their accounts, and Liza’s welfare before the final ruling. “While there is no doubt that [Senichkina] and the cat have formed an incredibly strong connection with each other in the past two and a half years, this court must acknowledge that [Zaydullina] shared at least a similar connection with the cat for the 10 years prior,” the ruling stated. It was proved that Zaydullina did not abandon her cat but encouraged the parties to cooperate to ensure Liza was a part of Senichkina’s life in “some capacity.”