You should definitely take Squirt home with you. Those people should not have her; they are not worthy of a cat, let alone one as special as her.

A word of caution though if you ask to take her and then she disappears if they say no. They sound like they aren't the brightest of bulbs, but even a dimwit can put two and two together and trace it back to you. That could cause a host of legal issues that no one wants to deal with.

May I suggest, if they owner is initially reluctant, to offer her money to buy the cat from her. I agree you shouldn't have to buy her but the law is what it is and the money might be the encouragement she needs.

I wish you the best of luck in this endeavor and hope to see pics of Squirt relaxing in your home in the near future.