The Porter cat filed paperwork to block its removal from the Porter household. In the papers filed by the cat's attorney, the defendant "Zowie" has been an upstanding member of the Porter community who rarely is seen by guests, consumes food in accordance with a healthy but certainly not gluttonous manner (a non-too-veiled shot at the family dog, Brando, and generally isn't a constant pain in the ass (again a dig at the dog).

As you may have read, the Porters recently terminated their contract with the cat and have given said feline until December 24 to pack its desk, clean its litter box, and disavow any knowledge of the pet door. In a statement released by the Porter family last week, "We are ending our 13 year relationship with the cat. In these difficult economic times, hard choices had to be made. This certainly is one of the hardest choices we've had to make this week and one that will haunt us well through the weekend. We wish the cat continued success and again thank it for its many contributions."

The legal representative for the cat was outraged and called a press conference today to refute what she calls outrageous statements made by the Porter family. "This is the most blatant example of both ageism and speciesism I have witnessed in my more than 20 years as a interspecies attorney. The cat not only has seniority in the household but is also the most upstanding pet citizen. My god, the dwarf rats they have smell like a barnyard (a reference to the Porter family's newest addition, a pair of Guineau pigs) and the dog smells like, well something that can't be alive. Nothing can make those kind of odors and still be alive. This isnt the last you will hear of my client. This cat has claws!"

Stay tuned as for more on this story as it develops.