Cat adoption denied for having a Ball Python after taking home the cat. Help!

[Cheesenugget]

Paralegal with over 8 years of experience in torts and breach of contract work in both Paintiff and Defendant sides. This post is not legal advice as I am not an attorney and it is strictly my opinion based on my personal and work experience.

I read what was posted as the contract. OP mentioned it was unsigned but that matters little as there was a contract in a sense of the agency approved and accepted payment in exchange for letting him adopt (buy) their cat. Going by the post, and what was written in bold, it does not appear to apply to the adoptee in question. It mentions nothing about other companion pets at home and its compatibility, much less what species it is. Does that cat have access to shelter, food and water? Was it declawed or maimed in any way by you or a vet after the adoption? If the answers are no, it seems you meet the contract conditions and therefore, there is NO breach that meets its clause where it stated how it is legally allowed to get the cat back.

My suggestion to you, if it has not been done so, is REFUSE further communication with the foster and agency. Do not allow the foster mom and the agency to your property. You are opening yourself a possible can of worms even though your heart is in the right place. Reason being is, if they intent to proof that you have breached the contract, they will find an excuse to do so, assuming that they realized that they don't have a case. For example, foster mom comes in, looks around and in her opinion, might find something to her dislike or to justify her worries if she fears snakes. Not only that, she might suspect you of animal neglect if she funds something wrong. It is just not worth it to take such risks and they have no legal ground to enter your home.

What is the worst that can happen? They would take you to court. Let them. Any self righteous person files suit and believes that they have a case. What a waste of the judge's time but let the judge deal with them. As the Plaintiff, they will have to proof their case. Keep all your communications with them in writing and save them somewhere. Check your state's statute of limitation on contracts to see how many years that they have to come after you, usually counting from "the date of breach" or the first date that they notify you that they want the cat back.

I used to volunteer at rescues for years and stopped since then. Pet people can be quite crazy and anti-people. I would rather stay away from them.