is it wrong for me to want to take care of a neighbouring neglected cat?

i am in a crisis right now and would really appreciate some advice (sorry this is a bit long). i live near melbourne and unfamiliar with the legal morals and ethics behind this. recently, a “semi-owned” kitten has been showing up near my house who has grown an attachment to me.

at first, i didn’t think much of it as she would show up occasionally in my backyard and i would go outside to pet her. i own an indoor cat and already am strictly against the idea of “semi-owned” cats or “outdoor” cats in general so i did keep an eye out for this cat to see if it was a stray. i was already concerned with the circumstances she was in because she was a kitten and quite small, too small to be outside.

she is the sweetest cat and eventually started to visit every single day and would constantly stick around in our backyard porch, sleeping, resting and playing. i would offer her wet cat food to see if she was hungry and every single time she would eat like she’d never seen food before. initially i thought she just preferred being at our house because we gave her food but then she started sticking around at night time and sleeping whole entire nights in my backyard porch where i put a cat bed. this raised a serious concern because i wasn’t letting her in the house at night yet she would rather be outside sleeping in the cold than going home?

we live right next to an extremely busy road which worries me because she is unaware of these dangers. this is extremely ignorant of the owners to let out such a small, vulnerable cat knowingly near a busy road. not only this, but ive picked up other signs of neglect. her nails are extremely long and she’s come to our door with sick and coughing with kitty cold which isn’t shocking whatsoever considering she’s left outside in unsafe temperatures.

she is let out when it is 5 degrees in the morning which is bizarre because she voluntarily choses to sit outside of my window during such cold conditions than staying home. clearly she is deprived of attention at her own house. she’s even attempted to come to my house when it was pouring rain.

i could not bear this so i started letting her inside. she is a very enthusiastic kitten who loves to play and is truly the sweetest, she even befriended my indoor cat. i adore her so much. every time i let her in she genuinely refuses to leave, proving that she does prefer being inside than let outside.

i do have to obviously let her out but i feel so guilty doing it because she genuinely hates being outside which i don’t blame considering the area we live in.

she would sometimes appear at my porch with a collar which im assuming the owners put on to show that the cat is “owned”.

one day, i then got a letter from the council saying they’ve been noticing a pattern of people feeding “semi-owned” cats and that this should be stopped unless you take full legal ownership of it. we have never been sent a letter like this before and i was questioning who even suggested this letter to be sent out, maybe the owners? but then again that contradicts everything because if you truly love your cat and genuinely concerned for their well-being, keep them inside. to be fair, i didnt care about this letter and im still letting her in and feeding her lol.

my mum is overly worried and believes the council will fine us? she doesn’t want me to let the cat in anymore because she’s afraid the council is watching us or something 😭😭, i still do let her in secretly behind my mums back lol. im not too sure, even if the council did send that letter, how would they know i am the person specifically caring for the cat.

should i go talk to the owners, even so, i don’t know who they are to be honest, how would i even find them? and if i do find them, im worried they won’t care as much as i believe they should about this cats well-being. i want to take full ownership of this cats of course and ensure that she is properly taken care of but i just have a gut feeling the owners won’t understand. it will make it seem like im stealing the cat… or should i not tell them at all and just keep the cat as my own?

i truly love cats so much, and this may be biased because i already own a cat, but i care so much for this cat. her well-being and safety is my priority.