Verbal lease

[Teddy Frey]

I'm the acting landlord of my Dad's house. We have two tenants that have been living with us for a few months. Where as Dad is loosey goosey I am stern. Anytime they disagree with me they go over my head to him.

The agreement was they would move in, pay $120 ( a pittance) a month, provide their own food and stuff. Things were ok, and we started sharing things until everything started getting devoured. So back to plan A. Then they asked dad if they could have their 12 year old cat live here. He said yes. I didn't want it., When they lost their jobs they started using my cats food without asking. Now that I've stood my ground and hidden my cats stuff, they are threatening legal action.

Can they do that? and will it hold up in court?