The claws are out!
A cancer-ridden cat lover has launched a vicious court battle against the woman who took in her beloved feline — because the new cat mom doesn’t allow the furball to sleep in her bed.
Danette Romano is accused of telling a tall tail when she agreed to adopt little Lacie from Carol Money, who was too sick with breast cancer to continue caring for the pet she adopted as a kitten in 2009.
Money, 73, said she told Romano that “Lacie’s distress at night from not sleeping with her was the only reason she would consider letting someone adopt Lacie” — so she expected her pampered Norwegian Forest cat would be allowed take up quarters in Romano’s bed.
But that’s not what happened, according to Money’s lawsuit filed in Onondaga Supreme Court in late November.
“[Romano] knew that she would not let Lacie sleep with her at night and purposefully withheld this information from [Money] in order to induce Plaintiff into letting her adopt Lacie,” the complaint said.
Romano, of Syracuse, adopted the cat for $65 in the spring of 2018 and allegedly vowed to return it to Money if the cat was unhappy, the suit said.
The feline fiasco blew up when Money, of Brewerton, visited Lacie at her new home — and Romano’s husband let the cat out of the bag, admitting, “We don’t let Lacie sleep with us,” court papers said.
Money said the husband also claimed the suddenly skittish kitty refused to come upstairs — but waited for them at the “bottom of the stairs each night and would even be there in the morning when they woke up,” according to the suit.
Upset by Lacie’s ap-paw-ling sleeping arrangements, Money said she began barraging Romano with texts, emails and voicemails to discuss the matter.
She even went to the Romanos’ home on Dec. 20, 2018 but had the cops called on her for harassment. Shortly after, she said she received a cease-and-desist letter asking her to no longer contact the Romanos.
Money, who sits on the board of directors for the Central New York Cat Coalition, which cares for homeless cats, is suing for breach of contract and other claims and seeking unspecified damages.
It’s not clear if Lacie is still with Romano — but Money is seeking her safe return.
Money’s lawyer, Ryan Suser, declined to comment. Romano did not immediately return messages.