Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Pro-Cat or Anti-Cat??

First, let me say that I am not exactly a cat person.  No offense to the cat owners out there, but I really don't understand cats or people's attraction to them.  If you're going to the invest the time and money it takes to keep a house pet, why wouldn't you get an animal that actually seems to appreciate your efforts... like a dog??

But, I digress.  I really want to talk about a trust department's possible breach of fiduciary duty.  Today's Chicago Tribune contained an article about a woman from Berwyn who passed away recently at the age of 76.  She had no surviving relatives.  In her will, she directed that any cat or cats that she owned at the time of her death be euthanized.  Sounds like a reasonable request to me.

The meddling trust officers at the Fifth Third Bank, however, felt differently.  They petitioned the Cook County probate court to set aside that provision of the will because they had found a shelter to take Boots, the cat at the center of the controversy.  On Monday, the Court granted the request and Boots was spared the eventual death sentence.

My question is this: Doesn't the trust department have a duty to carry out the plain language of the will?  What makes them think that they can petition the court to set aside any provision of the will?  I ask these questions tongue-in-cheek, of course, because there are plenty of reasons why this would happen and it happens all the time.  I'm really just trying to rile up the cat lovers!! Have a good one!!!

The Tribune's article is HERE.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I just stumbled over this blog while trying to find a cartoon involving the lawyer cat, and I'm not any sort of law student. I work in tech, but I'm a female and love cats, and have also had family dogs, and I'd like to answer your initial question. I wouldn't say I don't like dogs, per se, but I like cats better.

Reasons:
Dog smell. Even well cared for ones still have that...well dog smell, close up. I've not really encountered any cat that smelled like anything really, unless theyre uncared for.

Dog drool (big dogs). I hate how it gets all over couches, carpet, you. I have cat hair problems, but this doesn't revolt me at all like dried dog snot and slobber on a couch.

Dogs bark pretty loud. Even the small ones have an irritating yip which is tiring after awhile.
My cats can lay on my stomach and give me a nice belly rub with their sweet little massages they like to do and meow quietly.

Also, my two cats play fetch, which I've never heard of or seen in cats before, but allows for fun times when you roll the ball down the stairs.

I like that cats aren't so appreciative that they want to constantly show me love and be all over me. Sometimes I just wanna chill out. Alone. Or with my husband, I dunno, just something without them, and I like that they can go take a nap or entertain themselves without me. Cats show real appreciation to people they trust, not just anybody around them. It seems kinda stalker-y of the dog to always be there when you turn around, imho.

Now I sound like a crazy cat lady, which is why I'll be posting this anonymously. Please understand I'm just random, not crazy. :)

Michael W. Huseman said...

Thanks for the random comment!! Come back anytime!