A woman who was separated from her cat during Hurricane Katrina filed a lawsuit against a woman and her cat rescue operation this week to get the feline back.
Julie Morgan filed a lawsuit in Flagler County, Fla., earlier this week against Mari Molina of Second Chance Cat Rescue demanding the cat’s return. Molina wound up with the cat, named Meu, after people and pets were separated during the evacuation of New Orleans during the 2005 hurricane.
When Morgan was forced to evacuate her New Orleans home, she left her two dogs, a ferret and her cat Meu with the Jefferson Parish SPCA so that she could board a bus to Houston and safety. But when she was reunited with her animals, Meu was gone.
Jefferson Parish SPCA put all the animals in the temporary custody of Utah-based Best Friends Animal Society at a temporary shelter in Tylertown, Miss.
It was in Tylertown that Molina accepted temporary care of the cat until it could be reunited with Morgan. But that reunion never happened, prompting Morgan to file the suit against Molina and Second Chance Cat Rescue.
Molina declined to comment on the lawsuit, but in earlier news reports, she said that Morgan signed paperwork relinquishing ownership of the cat. However, animal rescue officials have said the paperwork was wrong and Molina was quickly notified of the error.
According to Francis Battista, director of Best Friends Animal Society, the animals were only intended to be fostered to get them out of harm’s way and that it was made clear to Molina early on that Morgan wanted Meu back.