An Ex Roommate Left Their Cat With Me, He Does Not Properly Care For His Animals And He Wants Me To Give Her Back. (massachusetts)

Okay, so, my husband moved one of his friends in to our apartment in February of 2024. He brought two cats and a dog with him. He paid no rent and no bills for the entirety of his time here (with the exception of half of one electric bill) and we helped subsidize his pet supplies. One of his cats was a 14 year old previously outdoor (I wouldn’t allow her to be outdoor while living in my house) and one is a 2 year old indoor cat. In August we gave him until the end of the month to move out as this was only supposed to be a couple months to get back on his feet sort of thing, and somehow after 7 months of basically no living expenses he had no savings and had to move in with his mom. He took the dog and older cat with him but we kept the 2 year old cat as there would be like 7 people, 2 dogs, and 4 cats in that apartment and she only weighs 6 lbs and we all agreed that we didn’t want her to feel anxious and overwhelmed. The issue here is his inability to properly take care of his animals. He makes the income necessary but just chooses not to. Me and my husband are the only people who have ever taken this little cat to the vet. We are the only people who have paperwork with her picture, name, and our names on it. I paid to get her examined, vaccinated, and spayed. In the five months he’s been moved out he hasn’t asked to come see her once, and now he will be moving in to his own apartment at the end of the month and I know that he is going to ask for her back. He has no adoption paperwork etc for her because she was just given to him. My current plan of action is just when I know he will be coming to try and get her is to call the police to my house before he gets here (I live very close by to the police station) and show them all of the paperwork that only has my name and current dates on it as well as the cats name and photo, and tell them that I do not want him on my property. I’m just wondering if I’m within my rights to do this. I’ve pretty much been solely financially responsible for this cat for at least 7 months. I know this may seem ridiculous to people but I am a “crazy cat lady” and I dedicate my life to these creatures, I foster kittens through an agency to help them find homes and this little one has found a home with me. She gets along so well with my two permanent resident cats (not fosters I mean) and has grown incredibly attached to my husband.