Can I keep a cold, stray cat in the bathroom overnight?

I recently rescued a stray and she stays outside of my house.

The problem is that at night it gets below freezing  and I'm very worried about her.

I've set up a little cat bed under a play structure outside but she doesn't like it; she much prefers a bush next to it.

It kind of sounds like she is congested. Her breathing is very loud. I want to make sure she isn't too cold at night and that she isn't getting sick.

I'm extremely allergic to cats so we can't keep her in the house but we want to put her in the bathroom overnight, with a warm bed, food and water, and a litter box. We will also set out a bunch of toys.

Do you think this is okay? Will it make her unhappy? I just don't want her to be uncomfortable but I feel like her being outside in freezing weather is more uncomfortable than the bathroom.

I would think that as long as the cat doesn't freak out and go hysterical being in the bathroom, that should be alright.  Are you planning on taking her to the vet and adopting her  or are you just trying to get her off the streets on these cold nights?  

Oh, I see you are allergic, well, being allergic is not the end of the world, a lot of us cat owners are allergic as well.  There are all kinds of degrees of being allergic to cats.  If it is mild, it is livable.  The first 2-3 months of having cats, I too was allergic, but, low and behold I somehow "outgrew" the condition. 

Yes we are going to take her to the vet soon. We definitely want to adopt this cat, but the problem is my allergies are very bad. So we are definitely adopting her, but she will have to stay outside. Unless the bathroom turns out to be okay during the night, in which case that will be her little bedroom.

Good news here, keep us posted about her trip to the vets.  And, of course, thank you for caring so much for this little one!!

So we tried taking her to the vet today. We had to put her in a crate, though, and she was crying the whole time. It was awful. When we got there, they sent us away because they were all booked for the day, so now we have to go back on Friday.

But now the cat wont even look me in the eyes. She's not nearly as affectionate anymore. It's really sad.

I think she might hate me. I feel sooo bad

Will the vet be spaying and vaccinating her as well? Thank you for caring!

No, she doesn't hate you, she just does not understand that you are doing what is best for her.  She is scared and confused.  Can you blame her?  It is not you, it is that her world has been turned upside down, she is living in  world that she does not understand, the "scary indoors"   LOL.  Again, what you are doing for her is wonderful, potentially will allow her to live a long and yes HAPPY life.  Sometimes we just have to wait until we can see the fruits of our labor.  Please be patient, we have quite a few experts on TCS who  have good advice in  their experience with "taming the feral"   LOL. I will keep an eye on your thread for one of such of those people to see this and respond.  Hang strong!!

Yes we are going to get her spayed and get all the proper vaccines. I just don't know how we're going to get her back there. I don't think she will ever get in the crate again, Not that I'd ever want to put her through that again anyway. We're thinking of trying a leash, as awkward as that will be. If it reduces her stress it's worth it. 

Do you mean a harness on the end of a leash. Please do not just attach a leash to her collar.  Cats are masters at squirming out of collars with a leash attached, not too mention she could hurt, strangulate herself.  Does your crate have a door at the top as well as on the front?  Cats that are difficult to crate, it is easiest to "drop them down" through  the door on the top of the crate.  If there are 2 of you adults, that will help the process as well.

Oh I didn't know that. Thanks for the info.

No the crate only has a door on the front. I really don't want to put her back in the crate though. It caused her so much stress. 

ireonfire said:

 
Oh I didn't know that. Thanks for the info.

No the crate only has a door on the front. I really don't want to put her back in the crate though. It caused her so much stress. 

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Honestly, a crate would be the best and safest bet for her. You might try covering the crate with a blanket or thick towel and see if it calms her, it helps very much for feral cats. You might also try putting her in the crate backside first instead of head first and see if its easier to get her in there.