I adopted a 'stray'...

So I stole a cat. My friend's neighbours were neglecting their cat very badly. She was not getting enough food and she was left unspayed and was outside most/all of the time as far as I'm aware. When she inevitably got pregnant she had 4 kittens; 2 of them died from things that would have been entirely preventable if they had been getting adequate care, or any care at all. Another is limping from we don't know what. They wouldn't have been getting fed if it hadn't been for my friend feeding them, which was really all she could afford to do because she has very little money at the moment.

When I moved into the area (moved in with this friend and 2 others) we took the cat and the remaining kittens, now 2 months old. Technically stealing/catnapping, yes, but kind of a rescue situation too. I am 100% certain it's what is best for the cats so I'm not even remotely sorry. We took them in on the 4th and since they've been with us they've been de-flea'd, de-wormed, given plenty of toys and affection, plenty of good food, and they are booked in to be spayed (all of them are female). My friend is keeping one of the kittens, her friend is keeping the other, and I am keeping the Mama cat. I simply fell in love with her. 

We've got them confined in the laundry at the moment, but they will eventually be inside/outside cats, able to come and leave the hosue at will. My question is, how long should I keep these partially-stray cats confined to the house before letting them have their freedom back? Especially considering we just moved down the road from where they used to live. We don't want them to run off, I especially cannot lose Mama cat. But I can't keep her confined for ever in the situation/house we're in, it would just be unkind, she wouldn't have even remotely enough space to be happy. I have been walking Mama on a harness and leash to get her used to the house and the garden, and we are making very quick work of bonding. How long will it be before this is 'home' in their minds and it is safe to let them out untethered? Certainly longer than a week, I know. 

Sorry for the long read. Thanks for your time. 

Thank you for rescuing these cats.  I personally have no problems with cat-napping in a situation like yours.

You should keep the cat confined to your house for at least two weeks, preferably longer (maybe up to four weeks).  And even then she may return to her previous home, but may quickly that she gets food and cuddles from you on a consistent basis, and stick around.

Personally, I'd be worried about what your neighbor might say if she/he saw the cat walking around her property, though your description, your neighborhood might not even notice!

Are you sure your indoor situation won't work?   Since you are so close to the old location you will inevitably be exposing the kitties to certain risks - going back to check out their old place for sure.   Neglectful owners can still be quite possessive of their animals - quite incomprehensible to me - but you don't want to take the chance that the old owner might try to repossess them.  Maybe strolls in the garden with the harness might be enough?

Thank you, Ritz! I'm glad to hear you agree with my actions, personally I feel like I dd the right thing. Mama is extremely affectionate. We have just been making leaps and bounds in terms of bonding, and she is getting a steadly supply of food from me, so hopefully she realises I am a very nice human to stick with! 4 weeks is do-able. Certainly she's going nowhere until she's spayed - the last thing this situation needs in another litter of kittens - and then she's going to be an inside kitty still until she is healed up and the stiches are out. That alone should eat up a good week or two. 

Bastfriend, sadly I don't see it being a kind situation. I am a university student and have a part-time job, so I don't see myself having the time to give her enough walks for adequate exercise and stimulation. I am also sharing a house with 3 other people, none of which want my cat in their bedroom, and one of them has had very unfortunate experiences with cats in the past and isn't even keen on having them in the living room (although I think this could be worked on in the future). If she was an inside-only cat, at best she would have 3 rooms to enjoy; at worst, only my bedroom, which is very tiny and filled with my single bed and 2 bedside tables in it. I have seen how happy cats are with the freedom to roam outside, and I just couldn't take that away from her and replace it with a single tiny room. I want a companion, not a prisoner. I know there are many risks with outside cats but she'd have no happiness in her life if she was confined to my tiny cluttered bedroom, so unfortunately it's really not an option in my current situation. 

I am going to have her microchipped and when she eventually is let outside, she will be wearing a collar and tag with her name and my phone number on it, to try to legitimise my ownership of her if the old owners somehow challenge me about it in the future. I plan to put up more of a fight than they could handle if the situation ever arises. 

Excellent idea about microchip. Good luck.

I would offer the opinion that being in one room is WAY better than being exposed to her former owners.  We have a former feral cat who does not get along with our other cats, so she has her own room.  We visit her when we feed her and at other times during the day.  We have nighttime rituals, so she gets plenty of interaction with us.

I think you might be able to do the same with your kitty.  As long as she has food, a nice bed and a nice potty, she'll be in heaven, especially compared to her former life.

I commend you for this rescue.  Hopefully, you are pleasantly surprised when the old owners show a complete lack of caring.  With the vet care, the microchip and your other work, you are a far better owner than they ever will.  Actually, unless they can show vet records, they have very little leg to stand on in terms of being the cat's owners.

That's very good to hear, Ondine! I have booked her in to be spayed first thing on Thursday. They don't keep them overnight where I'm gooing, and I have no work on Thursday so I can spend the whole day and night looking after her without having to leave her. She will be staying in my room after she gets back rather than the laundry, because I don't want her around her kittens when she's trying to recover from surgery. One is extra precocious and playful and she always wants to make a new game out of everything, and I want to make sure that doesn't happen with Mama's stitches! Microchipping on Tuesday. Poor kitty is going to have a very bad week. But I'm going to get some supplies to spoil her rotten with to at least take the edge off. She will be living in my room while she recovers from the surgery, so I'll see how she goes then as a trial run and if she is happy, I may consider making her an inside cat. But I think you are all under estimating just how tiny my room is. I still don't know where I'm going to put any of her things, because there's only one spot of floor space left. I'm going to have to get creative. 

If you want to see creative uses for a small space, check out this thread:

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/270195/pawley-and-all-of-us-could-use-your-vibes

You are absolutely doing the right thing!

Oh, thank you! The good news is, she likes my room a lot. When I take her out on the harness I let her lead the way, the only thing I stop her from doing is going under things because then I can't get her back out. Every time I let her out on the harness she goes straight for my bedroom, and she'll sit in there happily for hours. I did have the window open a crack but she sat on the sill and started calling for toms, so I put a stop to that sharpish >:/ . Other than me, Mama's still pretty scared of other people - if I'm walking her around the house and she sees one of my flatmates, she sprints right back to my bedroom. But to be honest, I prefer it that way. Cats that trust too easily can get into nasty situations. She and I are progressing very quickly in terms of bonding; university hasn't started yet so I am spending 4-8 hours with her a day, sometimes more. She's gone from being wary and stand-offish (and fixing me with mutiple death glares when I first put her into the cat cage, wow) to purring when I stroke her, letting me pick her up and hold her for ever-increasing periods of time, relaxing and washing herself around me, letting me rub her belly, and giving me affectionate vocalisations, all in a week. If her current behaviour is anything to go by, even if I let her come and go as she pleases, she's going to spend the vast majority of her time inside by choice. I think she's decided that being a pet is the Best Thing Ever! So maybe if she does wind up being an inside cat it wouldn't be so bad.

The only cats I've had before were two sisters from the same litter, three quarters feral. They're still alive but living with my mother, because they basically have the best setup at mum's house. One of them likes to spend her time inside and outside at a pretty even 50/50 split, and the other chooses not to come in except for her meals and evening cuddles, she loves being outside so much. Seeing them enjoy the freedom to come and go made me sad to think of confining cats inside, but compared to Mama's behaviour (who was more of a domestic cat that was abandoned, rather than a feral) I'm beginning to realise just how different domestic cats and feral-born cats can be, and how much feral behaviour those two have despite being given the grand pet treatment since we got them as old-ish kittens. So maybe Mama would be okay with being kept inside. I'm certainly warming up to the idea. 

Thank you everyone for your kind words and your help. This forum is absolutely wonderful and filled with great people, you are all such pleasures to talk to!