I just wanted to add that I am so happy and touched that you are doing all this for a little stray kitty, and while I know that some of the advice wasn’t really what you wanted to hear, I am so glad you are trying and that you care for her. I wish you weren’t so far away; I would be happy to take her in. Anyway, thank you for what you are doing, and for your thoughtfulness and kindness. If more people were like you, there wouldn’t be such problems with homeless animals. You are doing a good thing!!!
The year we lived in eastern Kentucky, we bought a house from people who left their mature cat behind (I found him on the front stoop when moving in). It was not an option to adopt him for indoor living since Mrs. J. is highly allergic to cats, but I rigged up a cardboard box with heating pad for him and it worked fine (I’d see him huddled in there on the pad in really cold weather).
I have taken care of many and unless they are totally untouchable, I get them to the Humane Society, where they get checked by a vet, and have warmth, comfort, shelter from dogs and other predators, and three square meals a day! Our local HS does NOT euthanize simply because they run out of space, etc.
The trouble with being outside is, their ears freeze and the tips actually wear off. They lose hearing due to the cold. Tom cats come along and then they have skinny malnourished kittens and the cycle starts over!
We do have a feral cat here on our property who is one of the “untouchables”. She stays here all the time now and we have stuffed an old dog house full of straw and have it blocked from the wind with a tarp and covered with tarps(we are in Wisconsin). She gets fresh water and food several times a day, and she appears to be older. She comes to the door but will not let me touch her.
Maybe you can hide a wooden box behind your shrubs and make it as warm as possible but I hope you have luck with finding it a permanent life long home. Good luck!
See if the local shelter has a trap you can borrow for Mama Cat, or you will likely be going through this again. As a former feral cat trapper, the baits I had best luck with are canned jack mackerel (wear gloves; that shit stinks) or fried chicken.
Finding her a home is going to be your best option; the life of an outdoor cat is all too often short and unpleasant. Is there a room in your home you can make off limits to allergic boyfriend? If you absolutely cannot get her inside, make sure she has shelter that is blocked from the wind. As noted above, an enclosed litter box or rubbermaid container is good.
Thank you for trying to help her.
We live in west central Ohio, and have three outdoor-only cats. One of them is 11 years old; he has never been inside our house, or any other house.
To keep warm in the winter, I built them an insulated and heated cat house.
They’re fine outside. At our place, the danger is not the cold temperature. It’s the coyotes.
I posted an update on the cat, but basically I have found a good home for her, and she is going to get shots and spaying next week.
I thought it would be a lot easier. I thought I’d just call the SPCA and they’d say, 'sure, bring her over". But, they actually had a long waiting list. The lady that I eventually found will be getting a monetary donation for her organization when I drop Zoey off after her surgery.
I’m so glad this worked out!! I was in the process of sending my sister a message to see if she has room for another foster kitty (she has 4 or 5 right now).
I’m happy that you found a home for kitty; the concern you expressed in your original post was touching. For anyone following along, Here’s a link to the follow-up thread.