Question about cats and winter?

[Spinning]

Ok this cat showed up on our door late June. SIlly me felt sorry for it and fed it. And now it is here all the time. IT really is a sweet cat. The problem is, it wont come into the house. We do have a dog. They do not get along at all. We have locked the dog in the basement and tried to bring the cat in with treats. No luck. It gets really upset and has some sharp claws!
What do I do this winter? I can't imagine the poor thing staying outside. We have gotten it to come in the garage but there is no heat in there.
I really don't want to take it to the pound because I dont' think it will get adopted. But I also don't want it to freeze outside.
Any suggestions?

 

[KatelynnsAuntie]

Well if you can get it to come into the garage, at least that's a start. The kitty is at least out of the elements. Can you make a little bed for it in the garage out of old towels or sheets? Does it have a way of getting in and out of the garage? Maybe you could start "training" it now by starting to feed it in the garage.

 

[Rajah]

Well if you can get it to come into the garage, at least that's a start. The kitty is at least out of the elements. Can you make a little bed for it in the garage out of old towels or sheets? Does it have a way of getting in and out of the garage? Maybe you could start "training" it now by starting to feed it in the garage.

I agree

 

[Shugardrawers]

An ex land lady of mine put a bed with a heating pad under a small blanket in her sunroom and left the door open for her outdoor cat. Can you do that? Other than that, outdoor cats are pretty hardy. They can stand a lot more than you think.

 

[Obi-Wan Pinobi]

I would get one of those padded cat condos and put it in the garage for it to sleep in. That way the cat has something soft and warm to curl up in, and definitely better than the elements.

 

[Mel6197]

Had the exact Same problem.. So what she did.. Went to Home Depot and got one of the Plastic Bins, you can store stuff in.. The Bigger ones.. with a Cover.. She flipped it over, with the bottom on, Cut a whole in it big enough for the cat to go in, put some old shirts, blankets etc.. Inside for the cat in the winter.. So it crawled in and out, was out of the elements, and not in the house with her dog.. And this way it only cost her 5 dollars..

 

[septbride2002]

Had the exact Same problem.. So what she did.. Went to Home Depot and got one of the Plastic Bins, you can store stuff in.. The Bigger ones.. with a Cover.. She flipped it over, with the bottom on, Cut a whole in it big enough for the cat to go in, put some old shirts, blankets etc.. Inside for the cat in the winter.. So it crawled in and out, was out of the elements, and not in the house with her dog.. And this way it only cost her 5 dollars..

this is what I was going to suggest. The cat can curl up in the blankets and t-shirts to keep warm. My Mom had to do this with a stray. She couldn't bring the container inside so she kept it against the garage(she was in an apartment). The kitty did fine with that and the good supply of kitten food my mother supplied.

~Amanda

 

[Virgo10]

Some great ideas here. We did the same thing with a stray female cat who was very antisocial. She made it through the winter just fine and really did use the box we set up for her.

Two weeks before she had a litter of kittens, we were able to capture her. She had her babies on St. Patrick's day 2003. Now she's a Florida cat and spends her days laying in the tropical sun. She's about the friendliest cat you'd ever want to meet after 2 years of the good life.

Mom Cat and one of her babies. 2003.

 

[lisajl]

I have indoor cats, that said, about 1 1/2 years ago my son brought in a stray that was in our garage. I got him vacc, he was already neutered(the cat, not my son)!! and in the winter I was worried about him, too.
We have a bench on our front porch. My Dh, I just love him, put a front on the bench and we put all sorts of warm blankets in there for the kitty.

The cat decided he wanted to be indoors and came in during the later months of winter.
He still will not come in for the spring, summer or fall days, but we keep feeding him and taking care of him.

We did the same for another cat about 4 years ago, but took him to the humane society. They euthanized him because he was about 6 years old and no one wanted him. He was only there 1 week. I will never, ever take another pet there.

 

[pearlieq]

Call your local pet shelter or animal control and ask them about their humane trapping options. You would be able to get the cat and also get it fixed, examined, and get it it's shots, which would do a lot to extend its life as a feral cat.

Good luck!

 

[Spinning]

Thanks for all the ideas. I actually have a dog house that we had for another dog many many years ago that I thought we could bring up by the house and put stuff in it.
We are also trying to get it to come into the basement. We have an outside door.
I know cats can live out side year round but it just seems so mean. We still have time to work on it.