In 2017, Portland resident Joshua Smith got a new roommate named Frank, who just turned up at his door one day. Everything was great between them, until 2019, when Joshua returned one day to find Frank missing… After several stress-filled days searching for Frank, Joshua’s landlord admitted to kidnapping Frank! Oh yeah, if you didn’t catch it in the title, his roommate is also a cat.
Joshua was staying in a rented room in a Portland drug recovery group home where he found Frank, who he assumed was a stray. Pets were against his rental lease, but instead of any kind of warning or formal complaint – The landlord got his girlfriend to kidnap Frank and drop him off at a local shelter.
Joshua later sued for punitive damages and emotional distress over the catnapping. According to The Oregonian, his attorney, Michael Fuller, said, “It turned out that the people on the jury were also animal lovers,” “The jury’s message should be loud and clear to landlords,” and “You need to respect the rights of tenants, especially when it comes to pets.” So Joshua was awarded $1.375 million! Which also serves as a warning to landlords across America – Don’t mess around with people’s fur babies without permission!
For another kitty caper: Fashion influencer Nima Benati hires pet detective to find lost cat – amid suspicions of satanic cult involvement.
