Stray Cat Rescue - How to Feed

[Cypress]

A stray cat has been roaming around the neighborhood for a little while. At least I think it's a stray. A scruffy black and white male cat wanders by the house routinely. It looks like an all outdoor cat from the condition. The cat always looks very determined in its path so I don't know if it's just a roamer or a stray.

But, last night, I think it was yeowing at my door at around midnight looking for shelter. It's wicked cold where I am and maybe it thought my door was it's normal front door as it's also very snowy up here and difficult I would imagine for a cat to get around.

Well, being a good soul, I'd like to help and start putting out a bowl of food at night. But, in these weather conditions, what food should be offered? It must need water. I have an indoor cat who goes bonkers every time this kitty comes around. I mean goes bonkers so I cannot invite it inside. I am pretty sure it's full of fleas and not sure about immunizations. It's not neutered.

I thought to turn a box into a safe haven with a blanket inside and put that in my shed with some food tonight. I can leave the shed door partially open. Maybe sardines? Or tuna? If I can save kitty, win some confidence, get a routine going, there's a local shelter that will help with no cost immunization and neuter, once kitty is stable.

[JaneV2.0]

Bless your heart. Here are a few ideas:

http://www.neighborhoodcats.org/how_to_feral_cat_winter_shelter

I think any wet food, maybe mixed with a little sardine oil or something, will do.

[sweetana3]

You can find all kinds of info at : http://facespayneuter.org/indyferal/help-found-stray-cat/

Some of the info is our location specific but there is info about shelter and food, etc.

Most important thing is protection from wind and water. I use warm water in food to give some hydration to our outside cat and feed it kitten food during the winter. Straw filled boxes in a sheltered shed would be good.

[JaneV2.0]

And a litter box inside the shed.

Wait--you mean it was outside all night in freezing weather? I hope it's alive...

[Packy]

Sweetana, et al beat me to it, but I concur: A box with straw in it (or old clothes) with the top closed and taped and an access port cut in the side and a food and water dish next to it, inside a shed they can readily enter/leave. Cat is curious & will figure it out, if you start feeding it there. Regular dry cat food will suffice. Going to a lot of expense will tend to burn you out. Cats prefer the warmest spot they can stand, but will still be okay in outdoor temps if they are just in out of the elements, in a shed with a bed.. After you see if kitty accepts your hospitality & takes up residence, you can proceed with other measures, such as worming, and determining how sociable cat is.

[Cypress]

Jane, I don't know where it is from or where it lives. As I say, maybe once a week, I have observed kitty moving past the house in a determined way. It seems to know exactly where it's going. There are places in the neighborhood the cat can huddle into. My neighbor has a shed that doesn't have a proper door but is fairly sheltered from wind and snow. It may have it's spots.

My own house cat knows where these places are nearby. When the weather is milder, she goes outside. Many times, she's come back smelling like woodsmoke. I really think she snuggles up next to the chimney stack.

A house on my street was for a long time the blight of the neighborhood. The house was falling apart and always trashy. Really trashy and scary. The town closed the house legally with an eviction order. The property has been cleared of the worst of the trash. There's a shed or two on the property. I have a feeling kitty was a part of this household.

I talked to a friend that has cared for feral and outdoor cats and she said it sounded like a roamer. I only see it once a week or so. I don't think it could survive outside. But, it was out for food. It's all a guess.

But, now that it literally knocked on my front door, I should help. I am taking home a box that I'll cover with plastic inside and out. I can drape a blanket that I have made out of some kind of dense man made material that holds heat pretty good. I have straw left over from the fall in the shed. I'll create a little nest I guess and see what happens. I don't like the idea of leaving the shed door open with food in their. But, I know there's mice in the shed and kitty may do me a favor by moving in.

Packy's ideas I will follow, I could get carried away with wanting to help.

[Cypress]

I can put a bowl of water in the shed but it's going to freeze. Thanks for the support

[befree]

there's instructions on the internet for saving a feral cat's life with an insulated box made out of 2 cheap foam coolers duct-taped together. Yes, it would be very nice if you could get him spayed and immunized later on. Unfortunately, there's always a multitude of stray cats (because people don't spay them)

[Cypress]

The mystery continues. I did see this cat on Saturday evening around 7 pm. It's an orange tabby I have never seen before. The cat is about 2 years old and seemed in general good condition. My indoor cat let me know the cat was near the front door. So, I put out a bowl of food and took a look at the visitor. The original thought of it being a scruffy black and white kitty appears to be incorrect.

But, I have started putting out a bowl of food each night on my doorstep. I have already established a routine quickly as two mornings now, the bowl is empty. My cat is fussy so, this visitor is getting left overs. It certainly doesn't look like a feral cat to me.

Somebody must be letting it out in the eve, maybe to go potty? Who knows? I can at least put out a handout until I can figure this out.