NYC woman wins full custody of cat after two-year legal battle with friend who didn’t return it after pet-sitting
A New York woman has won a two-year legal battle against a former friend who she says refused to return her pet cat.
Aliya Zaydullina was granted full custody of her elderly feline, Liza, on July 11 by a Manhattan judge – but the pair are still waiting to be reunited, she told The Independent Wednesday.
It’s been nearly three years since Zaydullina last saw 15-year-old Liza.
Her former friend, Maria Senichkina, is accused of failing to return Liza after she agreed to pet-sit her for a few months in 2022. Senichkina is reportedly hoping to appeal the court decision.
“I don’t know if I’m surprised, but I don’t know why she’s doing that,” Zaydullina said, explaining that her life with her pet began when she found her in a shelter “for just $60.”
It all began in September 2022 in New York City when Zaydullina asked Senichkina to watch Liza while she was away in her native Russia, visiting her sick mother.
A month later, when she returned, she asked Senichkina to watch over Liza for a few extra weeks while she dealt with family issues.
“We were pretty close friends and I shared every single detail with her regarding my mother’s health,” Zaydullina said.
However, Senichkina insists it was during that conversation that the pair agreed Liza would become hers, though Zaydullina maintains it was just a request to extend the period regarding the original favor.
Senichkina has kept Liza ever since the falling out.
“I had no idea it would go this far,” said Zaydullina, who is currently living in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
“It’s like part of you is just taken away from you without your permission,” she said.
Zaydullina said the ongoing legal battle had been tiring, hostile at times, and financially draining. In 2023, she said Senichkina demanded Zaydullina pay her $18,000 in legal fees. Meanwhile, flights back and from Fort Lauderdale to New York City, paying for taxis, and accommodation set Zaydullina back hundreds of dollars.
“I would never have agreed to be a temporary sitter for seven months,” Senichkina said. “One month, sure. But seven months, and hundreds of dollars and hours invested […] it was clearly not a temporary favor.”
She said that she took on thousands of dollars in expenses for the cat’s care, including veterinary bills.
In the ruling, Manhattan Civil Court Judge Wendy Li weighed the women’s property rights, any discrepancies in their accounts, and, most importantly, Liza’s welfare.
“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,” Li wrote in the ruling.
Li decided that Zaydullina had not abandoned her cat and remained its legal owner the entire time.
The judges’ ruling requires Zaydullina to reimburse Senichkina for the cost of Liza’s care between September 2022 to May 2023, which Zaydullina said she always planned to do.
In a similar format to parental custody of a child, Li said that all parties should “arrange a way for [Senichkina] to remain a part of the cat’s life in some capacity.”
The case was particularly challenging as Judge Li had to consider whether a contract had been breached and if the cat had been abandoned. Equally, because the two women hadn’t created a written agreement, Senichkina was unable to prove that Zaydullina had handed over Liza as a gift.
Time played a significant factor in the case as Zaydullina adopted Liza from a Brooklyn shelter in 2013 and cared for her until her return to Russia, ten years later.
“I am open to reestablishing the connection if we reestablish some sort of trust and communication,” Zaydullina said Wednesday, explaining that communication had been challenging because Senichkina blocked her on social media, “even LinkedIn.”
Senichkina told Gothamist she and her lawyer haven’t yet formally received the court’s ruling, which gives her until October 1 to return the cat.
Zaydullina says the court mailed out the ruling on July 15 and that, in a desperate attempt to retrieve her cat, she contacted Senichkina on July 16, as instructed by the court, to arrange a pickup.
“I hope she will respond. I’ve given her till July 26,” she said.
The Independent contacted Senichkina’s lawyer for comment.
