Caring for feral (?) cat this Winter

[pauliecat333]

Hello,
We have been feeding a cute tuxedo cat in our backyard all Summer. I believe he is feral (will hide or run off when we get too close) but not sure. Anyways,
I'm worried about him with the cold weather approaching. It was very windy yesterday and I thought to place an old cat house with a blanket out there for him. I think he thought I was trying to trap him because it took him 15 minutes to approach the food and then bolted. We planned on leaving our garage a bit open for him when the weather is super cold, but now i don't think he will go in.

Has anyone had a similar situation? We've all grown quite fond of him and don't want him to freeze out there. Any ideas appreciated. Thanks

 

[fionasmom]

Winter Weather Tips for Cats
Help Outdoor Cats in Winter: Top 10 Tips
Neighborhood Cats | How to TNR | Feral Cat Winter Shelter

Some of this information overlaps, but there are a lot of ideas in the articles above.

Your point about the cat thinking that shelter is a trap is a good one, and not uncommon. I have set up cat shelters, although here in SoCal no one is probably going to freeze, only to have them used by possums and not cats. Having said that, in your location, a cat may be more likely to investigate a shelter as it gets colder.

Leave the garage open, with some bedding, and see if he gets the point that it is safe. The tips in the articles are very inexpensive, so you might try making one of the shelters.