Stray/feral car in my garage

Recently,a stray orange and white kitten (I think it's a kitten since it's so small) made my garage its home. Its completely silent and when I see it, it will stare at me for a little before finding another place to hide. I got it to meow for a bit by meowing myself but that's it. It doesn't seem to want to leave the garage and I want to either get it out or get it into a secluded room like the guest room. I'm also wondering how it feels because I also have two small dogs, a miniature pincher and a shi tsu. What should I do? What do I feed it? Is it okay if I gave it some of my dogs' food? Or should I go out to buy it some cat food? Should I go buy a trap?

And, yes, I accidentally spelled cat as car. xD

Daunt said:

Recently,a stray orange and white kitten (I think it's a kitten since it's so small) made my garage its home. Its completely silent and when I see it, it will stare at me for a little before finding another place to hide. I got it to meow for a bit by meowing myself but that's it. It doesn't seem to want to leave the garage and I want to either get it out or get it into a secluded room like the guest room. I'm also wondering how it feels because I also have two small dogs, a miniature pincher and a shi tsu. What should I do? What do I feed it? Is it okay if I gave it some of my dogs' food? Or should I go out to buy it some cat food? Should I go buy a trap?

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So you want to help this kitten / small female (many females are small, and looks almost like a kitten).   Swell!   Perhaps adopt her too?

She know surely you do have dogs.  Yet she chooses to take shelter in your garage.   With time, she will surely become friends with them.  And if the dogs arent  born cat haters, they will also accept her as friend.  Especially when they notice she is under your protection, and does now belongs to the house, to the pack.   So this is really the least problem here.   

You can begin to give her dog food if you dont have nothing else at the moment.   Its not poisonous in any way.  Although it is not enough in the long run.

Wet cat food is best (canned or in pouches).   Cheap dry foods are usually not so good - but again, may be something to begin with.   Cheap dry foods contain lotsa of carbohydrates.  And cats are obligate carnivores in even higher degree than dogs, so lotsa of carbohydrates - especielly cereals, are  harmful for them.

Some minced meat, tuna fish, cheese, other meat (not from pigs) are useful.   Tuna fish, and Gerber baby food chicken or turkey (unflavored, no onion)  are classical treats / baits.   Observe, many cats dont manage cow milk well.  But plain unsweetened youghurt is OK.  Goat milk is safer.

Otherwise, you can use low lactose full fat milk, its safer  than the common cow milk.

You hopefully dont need a trap, with a little luck she may perhaps herself come inside? Or into a carrier.  If you entice her with tuna or this gerber.   She must be hungry...

You can also probably borrow a trap.  Some shelter nearby.  Or the citys Animal authority?   Sweep it off with something killing bacteria and viruses, if they dont do it automatically on routine.

I mean, buying just for one occasion is perhaps to overdo it, if you arent made of money, and or plan to  join a rescue group.

One advantage with trapping, if you do it, is you dont carry her immediately home, but you carry her at first to the vet.  Check up, deworming, vaccinations.  If she is in good shape and healthy, perhaps also spaying at the same time.     If she isnt in top condition, wait with the spaying to somewhat later.   Deworming and vaccination do take a toll on their system.

And so you take her back home and release from the trap in the prepared room...

Anyways, she finds she has shelter in the garage.  If she gets also food and water there, and you seems friendly human, she will almost surely remain.  So you dont  need to be anxious she will move on.  Winter is also nearing.     Let her have a litter  (non scented litter from baked clay, or even common sand) in one corner of the garage, so she doesnt need to go outside.

Dont look directly at her eyes.  For semiferales its almost like a threat.   Look a little aside.   Talk a lot in a friendly voice.  You can also sit down, or hunch(?) down, while you are talking.

Please, come back with reports and follow up questions.   Here is always somebody who is answering.  This forum is very well manned by helpsome folks.

Good luck!

Welcome to TCS.  Thank you so much for helping this kitty.  I have nothing to add to Stefan's excellent advice.  Trapping (or getting him into a carrier) is the best course.  You can get him to a vet and make sure he is healthy and then get it into a room of his own so he can acclimate to living inside.

Thank you for your replies! I left some dog food and some chicken that I had on hand and she ate them. I plan to get real cat food for her sometime later and maybe a carrier too if I think I can get her into it She seems to now stay to watch me as long as I don't get too close and is still as silent as ever. I tried taking pictures from afar but I guess she didn't like it and walked away. Here are some pictures. How would you describe her? I thought she was simply white and and orange when I noticed some lighter orange stripes on her tail.

Poor soul does look a little frightened.  You must be doing something right for her to stay.  She looks around a year old or less.

If you can, set up a bed and litter box in the garage.  With those and the food, she will have less need to go outside.  It will make moving her to a room inside and thus, socializing her, easier.

Thank you for helping her.  She's a red tabby with white.  (Are you sure she's a girl?)

Thank you for your advice. And no, I'm not sure if it's a boy or a girl. I haven't been close enough to tell. My little sister likes to refer to her as a girl so that is how we have been referring to her, rather than him/her or it.

I see your plans are going well.   Just to proceed then!

To claryfy  what I wrote.   I agree with your plan of getting her inside, in the beginning to this extra room you do have.   Its safer so, and it will be easier to foster her inside.   But you dont need to panic and do it immediately if it is bothersome or difficult for you.  She will remain at your place, if nothing especial happens.

I agree, red tabby with white.   And my main guess is she is such a petite female I mentioned earlier.    The problem is, females tends to get pregnant.   So THIS makes you are possibly in a hurry...  Its not the season for it now, but you cant never know for sure.

Good luck!