Cat coming in our garage at night

I live in Iowa, and we have been having bitterly cold weather lately. I have a food bowl in our garage for the one cat we let outdoors at times. We have a door into our garage for Jasper, so he can get out of the weather.  I noticed the food going down significantly, even though Jasper was only going out for 5-20 minutes a few times a day. I wanted to see what the critter was, so I bought a game camera. Last night I got it set up.


The cat looks reasonably well fed and in good health, to my eyes. It does not have a collar. It could be a stray, but if so I suspect he has other people helping him (or her) out.

I will continue to feed the cat. I did put out a carrier (open door) with a fleece throw in the bottom and one over the outside, but the cat did not use it last night.

Any suggestions for what else I can do for the cat? I hate the idea of a cat, even an "owned" one, out in the weather we have been having. Is there a better idea for shelter? Would a shelter on my porch be a good idea?

Our weather is warming up for the near future, so I'm not worried right now. I'll find out where I can borrow a humane trap. If the temperature plummets again, I want to be able to trap the cat and bring him/her in. We have a room in our basement we can put the kitty in.

Thanks for any suggestions. Even though I'm a cat person, this is the first "stray" I've dealt with.

Kalynnda

Thank you for caring and taking care of him.  I know you must have been through the cold snap as well.  He is probably cold and hungry.  You first might want to check around and see if he is someone's lost pet.  Look in the paper, check the internet for lost pets in your area, call the humane society too.  You also get trap him and take him to a vet to see if he is micro chipped.  He might have been mistakenly let outside.  You also could post fliers in your area advertising a found cat. 

Thank you for caring for this cat.
I have a couple of thoughts.
The New Cat could indeed be a new stray, or an old stray, perhaps turning feral, who knows where/how to get food (hunting/garbage). Another way is to simple see how he/she reacts when/if you see him.
In the interest of the safety of your resident cat, I would put a shelter on your porch, which might lessen the chance of them running into one another-you don't know how healthy the New Cat is. Some cats will use a cat shelter, some won't--no matter how luxurious it is! And it is something new, so some cats have to get use to the newness.
Speaking of healthy: would you consider trapping the New Cat and taking him/her to a vet, to get tested (FIV and FeLK) and spayed/neutered?
You might be able to borrow a trap from your local humane society/SPCA.
Alley Cat Allies is a great resource about feral cats.
Here is a brief article about TNRing--trap/neuter/return.
Good luck, and keep us posted.

Thank you for helping him!  I second the idea of the shelter on the porch.  The less your cat interacts with him until he's medically cleared, the better.

You can put a plastic tote on the porch and fill it with straw (a blanket will do in a pinch but straw is warmer and won't absorb moisture).  You don't have to be elaborate - the tote can be covered with a blanket to insulate it some.  As long as it is out of the wind and weather, it should be OK.  A small doghouse will do the same if you can spend the money.

There are also products - Feral Villa and KittyTube come to mind - that are designed specifically for outside cats.  Depends on your budget.

Second the suggestion to have him vet checked ASAP - for a chip, diseases, whether she's been spayed (or he's been neutered).

Thank you for helping him/her!