By Carri Geer Thevenot | Las Vegas Review-Journal
Family law attorney Mandy McKellar valued her cats so much that she included them in a prenuptial agreement with her husband — “just in case.”
By the time they divorced this summer, the couple also had acquired two dogs. Now all five pets live with McKellar in her Las Vegas home, although she has offered to let her ex-husband take the cat they adopted.
“He can come back and get her at any time,” McKellar said of the cat. “She hates the dogs.”
Comments by Rose Law Group Partner Kaine Fisher:
“This may sound ludicrous to some, but to others, pets are like children. I don’t fall into the latter category, but I can certainly appreciate how someone might get attached to their pet over time. Just as with anything you hold dear to your heart or that has substantial value, it is always wise to do everything you can to protect those things.
“It’s a hard pill for clients swallow that courts do not handle pets the same way they do children. That’s just the way it is so if you don’t want Spike being treated like a couch or toaster in your divorce, then plan ahead.
