I hope this reddit thing is the right place to ask.

My friend had to recently move back in with his elderly father. He was going through a really bad time and his dad became severely unwell.

Anyway, there are 6 cats in the household, all outdoor cats. 3 of the cats were free roaming and would go quite far and be gone for days at a time.

You have mum, dad and their 4 babies.

I have been told that it's 2 babies and dad that go off.

From what i was told, for the last 5 years, they've taken off and found new homes. My friend's dad became unable to go out to search or call them back. My friend did know that they weren't around as much but he never seemed bothered by it.

When he moved back in Nov 2025, he said he realised how bad it was and he went out to look. He found all of the new homes and he struck up polite relationships with the people.

In March 2026, his dad became terminally ill and decided he wanted all the cats to be indoors.

My friend asked the people if the could return them.

One lady had outright refused. The cat came back of his own choice so my friend kept him locked inside.

This lady then came knocking and said she is going to report him to the RSPCA.

My friend said to her that his dad is the owner but she says she has concerns.

I have had cats before, never shut them in but I take my own personal feelings out of it. My friend says he's doing it to familiarise them back with the owner.

I am concerned about her report, i feel it would hurt the dad. I feel that they may take the cats away.

I'm concerned that the RSPCA may tell the lady information that isn't theirs to share.

My brother in law works for the local branch, he says they may act on the report but they shouldn't disclose anything to the lady.

I also worry that my friend may not be doing the right thing shutting them in. It may be harmful to all the cats as they may not want to be stuck together.

Thank you