Not a good analogy, you are still depriving them of a seed for a period of time. Something more accurate would be "Excuse me sir, may I take pictures of your successful tomato grow op so I can do the same thing at home in my own grow to feed my family."
It really sounds like you gave him a great life that nobody else would have. Without you they would have died a feral cat only knowing struggle within the unending fight for food and warmth. With you they got to know love and got to leave all that struggle behind. You did good.