Couple’s court battle over pet cat
When his ex-wife wanted to put his beloved Buffy in a cat hotel, Mark turned to the court over the kitty’s welfare
TO MARK Leathers, Buffy is more than just a cat. He raised the f luf fy 13-year-old feline with great love, getting up early for years to feed her. He installed an air conditioner in his Durban home so she wouldn’t suffer in the heat and even named his private plane after the chinchilla-Persian beauty. He treats Buffy like royalty, even importing her food all the way from Portugal.
“People think I’m crazy when I refer to my cat as my child. I’m not crazy. I know Buffy is a cat, but to me she’s like my child,” Mark (37) tells YOU.
So it doesn’t come as a surprise that Mark and his ex-wife, Lisa VisserLeathers, are now involved in a bitter catfight to determine the ongoing comfort and security of their beloved Buffy.
When Mark and Lisa went their separate ways in July last year, Mark decided to leave Buffy with Lisa in the home the couple used to share.
“Buffy was used to the house and I wanted to make life as easy as possible for her – cats don’t like change.
“At first, I didn’t need to get visitation rights. We had an agreement and I visited Buffy every 10 days or so.”
But then his ex decided to put Buffy in a cat hotel for three days while she went away on holiday. That’s when the claws came out.
“The cat’s never been to that hotel. She isn’t familiar with other cats. She has her own routine and it would’ve been better for her to come to me or for me to go to her, but my ex-wife wouldn’t hear of it.”
So Mark felt he had no choice but to approach the court for an urgent interdict preventing Lisa from putting Buffy in the cat hotel.
The high court, however, struck the application from the roll on 23 April because it didn’t adhere to the requirements of urgency.
Mark, however, isn’t about to back away.
“There’ll be more legal action. It’s not about whether or not I think my ex-wife can take care of Buffy – I want all decisions and actions to be in Buffy’s best interests.”
WHEN Mark discovered in 2014 that he couldn’t have children, the white cat with the emerald eyes became the apple of his eye. “I was told I have a birth defect that prevents me from fathering children. Buffy filled that void. She became like a child to me.”
Mark and Lisa got Buffy as a kitten in 2009.
“I was still a candidate attorney and Lisa paid for Buffy. But I was the one who got very attached to the kitten, staying up many nights if she didn’t want to sleep or was feeling poorly – just like you would with a baby.”
They named the kitten after a Southeast-Asian fish owl called a buffy. “When she was little, Buffy had these huge eyes that made her look like an owl,” Mark says.
The couple made the cat’s environment as comfy as possible and she was soon accustomed to living the high life.
They installed a smart air-conditioning system they could regulate from their phones so Mark could switch it on while he was at work.
“Buffy has long hair and we live in Durban, where it gets really hot. We thought, ‘Shame, we can’t let her suffer in this hot weather’. So we installed the aircon.”
Mark says he hasn’t had access to the air-conditioning system’s controls since the divorce.
There’s also a CCTV system in the house so the couple could see how Buffy was doing when they couldn’t be there.
“She slept most of the time when we checked the CCTV – we really just installed the system for peace of mind.”
When it comes to food, only the best cuisine is good enough for his baby – supermarket fare simply isn’t good enough for this posh pussycat.
“In 2014, while on holiday in Portugal, we came across a special kind of cat food and bought some for Buffy. She loved it and refused to eat anything else from then on.”
Mark loves Portugal and would often travel there before the pandemic hit. “Each time I went, I bought more of the food for her. Now I have the food imported. Buffy is a little picky, but she’s allowed to be – she’s Daddy’s little girl.”
Mark’s main hobby is piloting his own plane, the registration of which is ZU-BUF – in honour of Buffy.
“Buffy is more than a cat to me which is why I decided to take legal action. I didn’t want to. Though I fight [in court] for a living, I don’t like fighting in my personal life. “But this is about Buffy and what’s best for her. She can’t speak and tell us what she wants. It’s my duty to make sure she’s comfortable and happy.”
THOUGH the case has been struck from the roll, Mark was able to prevent Buffy from being booked into the cat hotel.
“I emailed the cat hotel to explain the situation. They decided they didn’t want to get involved in the dispute.”
Instead, Lisa got her sister to catsit while she went on holiday. Following the incident, Mark contacted Lisa’s lawyers requesting that visitation rights be formalised. Now Mark sees Buffy every weekend.
“I alternate between 10am to 12pm on a Saturday on one weekend, and between 10am and 12pm on a Sunday the other weekend.
“Cats are different to dogs. They’re quick to lose interest. I’ll play with her with her toys for a few minutes before she gets bored and walks off. She’s not really a lap-cat either and will only sit with you a few minutes before going off on her own mission.”
One wonders if this bitter battle is really necessary. Why doesn’t Mark just get another cat?
“That’d be like saying you have an argument with one of your children and why don’t you just get another child? You have an emotional attachment to a living being. That relationship is unique. I could never replace Buffy.”
He’s considering further legal action to ensure Buffy’s ongoing wellbeing, Mark adds.
“I don’t want to say too much – one never reveals one’s strategy. But I have a few cat experts who’ll be weighing in.” In the meantime, he makes do with the quality time he has with his pussycat princess. B Lisa declined to comment after obtaining legal advice. In court documents, she states both she and Mark love animals, prompting the decision to get Buffy.
“Though the respondent [Mark] has become fond of Buffy, she’s always been my cat. I paid for Buffy.”
Lisa says the cat must live with her because Mark isn’t allowed pets at his current home. She also says cats are adaptable. “They adapt easily to a new environment, as long as the cat’s owner is present on a permanent basis.”
‘BUFFY IS MORE THAN A CAT TO ME WHICH IS WHY I DECIDED TO TAKE LEGAL ACTION’