Cat at the center of North Bay custody battle

FAIRFIELD, Calif. (KTVU) -- A custody battle is brewing in the North Bay over who is the rightful owner of a cat.

According to the Santa Rosa Press Democrat, Tiffany Mestas of Fairfield took the case to court after tracking her black and white cat through a microchip to the home of a woman who refused to hand the animal over. 

The 35-year-old veterinary technician says the cat, which she named David, went missing seven years ago and was illegally adopted.

But the lawyer for the cat's new owner says the 68-year-old woman adopted the cat in good faith from a shelter in Vacaville five years ago, and that the cat has become part of her family. 

According to the Press Democrat website, a trial date has not been set in Sonoma County court as of yet.