Bob the cat: Custody battle continues between original owner in Kansas and new caregiver
Another custody battle is underway involving Bob, a senior cat from Kansas found in Fuquay-Varina last year.
WRAL News has created a timeline of the custody battle for "Bob the cat," who was supposed to be headed home to his original owner in Kansas. Now, a woman caring for Bob near Charlotte told 5 On Your Side she's not giving him up.
Carol Holmes, from Kansas, is Bob's original owner and spoke to WRAL News over a Zoom call.
“It's just been a roller coaster,” Holmes said.
Holmes adopted Bob in Kansas in 2013, naming him after her dad. The cat disappeared a few months later and Holmes said she searched for him for years, until 2023, when he was found in Fuquay-Varina and his microchip linked the cat back to Holmes.
“I mean, that's quite enough to find a cat after missing 10 years. But then to get the call on what would have been my dad's 94th birthday was astounding,” Holmes said.
A bitter custody fight unfolded between Holmes and Alex Streight, who found Bob in Kansas in 2014 then moved to North Carolina with her family -- and Bob. Streight cared for Bob in Fuquay-Varina for 10 years before the cat was found wandering the neighborhood in 2023 and taken to a veterinarian, where his microchip connected him to Holmes.
Wake County Animal Services ultimately decided that, because Holmes is the only owner listed on the microchip, Bob should go back to her.
Holmes told WRAL News she discussed the situation with a friend and decided she needed to take custody of Bob before the decision could be challenged.
“We needed to get someone there [to North Carolina] to pick him up the very first morning, and her cousin didn't live far away,” Holmes said about the discussion with her friend.
Jennifer Manella, the cousin, lives in Statesville, which is north of Charlotte. On Sept. 20, she picked up Bob, and the plan was for Holmes to come get him in a few days.
Holmes provided email and text exchanges with Manella detailing their discussion and plans for Bob to stay with Manella temporarily until Holmes could pick him up. Wake County also provided emails through records requests showing the same.
The exchange never happened.
“I really felt like she just she intentionally stole my cat,” Holmes said about Manella.
In a phone call with 5 On Your Side, Manella claims Wake County let her adopt Bob, even sending WRAL News paperwork that she said proves it.
5 On Your Side checked with Wake County Animal Services, who said Manella was not allowed to adopt Bob and the paperwork she signed to claim Bob for Holmes was a redemption form, not adoption paperwork.
The microchip that reconnected Bob and Holmes after 10 years should be able to settle the dispute, but Holmes said the company that administers the chip, 24Petwatch, allowed Manella to change the chip into her name without Holmes' consent.
“Their reply,” Holmes said about 24Petwatch, “is they realize there's a dispute. And they can't keep changing it back and forth. And they are not hired to make custody decisions.”
24Petwatch has not responded to calls or emails from 5 On Your Side.
Manella didn’t want to be interviewed by WRAL News but said in a phone call she "will fight to the death for Bob, because he's happy right where he is."
“My next move is to file a lawsuit against the woman that has intentionally stolen my cat,” Holmes told WRAL News.
Microchips are still a good option to prove ownership of a pet. It’s how Wake County made its determination that Holmes should get custody of Bob, citing a previous court case.
Documentation that proves ownership is also helpful, including proof that you adopted the animal or, if the animal was purchased, that you were the one who purchased them.
Timeline of the battle for Bob
2013: Holmes adopts Bob. After a few months, Bob goes missing from his Kansas home.
2014: Streight finds Bob in Kansas. She took him to the veterinarian who said he did not have a microchip. She tries to find his owner but has no luck and ends up adopting Bob.
2015: Streight moves with her family and Bob from Kansas to North Carolina.
August 2023: Bob has lived with Streight for nearly a decade. The cat is wandering the neighborhood when a neighbor finds him. The neighbor takes him to the vet who finds a microchip registered to Holmes. The battle begins to decide who legally owns Bob.
September 2023: The Wake County Animal Center decides Bob will be sent back to Kansas to live with Holmes. Streight files an emergency injunction to stop Bob from being sent to Kansas.
September 2023: A Statesville, N.C., woman named Jennifer Manella picks up Bob with Holmes' knowledge, but the cat has not yet been returned to Holmes in Kansas.
March 2024: Manella tells 5 On Your Side the cat is happy where he is and says she will fight to keep him.
