Chloe, the cat at the centre of the controversy.

A fluffy show cat is at the centre of a months-long custody dispute between an Auckland woman and a teen social media sensation.

The battle has already attracted international media attention, police involvement and a team of lawyers, and may now be on its way to the Disputes Tribunal.

Auckland woman Joyce Quah lost her chinchilla persian cat Chloe at the start of the year and strongly believes teenager Catilin Davidson (known as Caito Potatoe to her half-a-million or so social media followers) has adopted her.

Joyce Quah and Chloe in happier days. Photo: FACEBOOK

Quah hasn't seen Chloe since the cat disappeared from her Grey Lynn home in January but says she won't give up the fight to get her back.

Quah strongly believes her cat has been adopted by Davidson.

"I haven't stopped thinking about her since she went missing, I wonder where she is and is she well taken care of? It's quite painful to talk about it. She's my baby," Quah said.

Internet star Caitlin Davidson, otherwise known as Caito Potatoe, has a cat called Darling who looks remarkably like Chloe. Photo: SUPPLIED

Chloe the cat, if it is her, was introduced to Caito Potatoe's fan base as her new cat Darling via one of her excitable video monologues at the start of the year.

Davidson posts frequent short clips of herself ranting about what has happened in her life. Her posts often get thousands of likes, shares and comments on YouTube and Facebook. So it wasn't long before her new cat caught the eye of Quah's friends.

Several people alerted Quah to the possibility that Darling was in fact her cat Chloe.

Darling appears in videos on Caitlin Davidson's Facebook page. Photo: FACEBOOK

The story has since attracted local and international media attention and a boost in the number of supporters for the Friends of Chloe Facebook page, started recently by Quah.

There has also been abuse aimed at Davidson, which Quah has called for an end to on her support page.

After tentatively but unsuccessfully reaching out to the Davidson family and asking for visitation rights, a DNA test and a chance to estabilsh if Darling was her cat, Quah still hasn't given up.

"I want her back at this stage, there's no other way out of this."

The family had declined all her efforts to see the cat, she said.

A law firm acting pro bono on behalf of Quah has now sent a letter to the Davidsons asking for a negotiation to take place and Quah said there was nothing left to do in the meantime but wait, and hope the family would be reasonable.

The police were involved for a time but Quah said she would take the case as a civil matter to the Disputes Tribunal if the lawyers' letter was not successful.

Quah said the timing of Chloe's disappearance and Darling's adoption were too similar to be a coincidence. She said she had the paperwork to prove the cat was hers.

The Davidsons declined the opportunity to comment but have said in previous media reports that the cat is now in a happy home after having been a stray for some time.